ODI World Cup 2023: Afghanistan vs England, 13th ODI – Who Said What?

Mujeeb Ur Rahman. (Photo Source: MONEY SHARMA/AFP via Getty Images)

Afghanistan registered a remarkable 69-run win over England in the 13th match of the 2023 ODI World Cup on October 15. This marked the Hashmatullah Shahidi-led side’s first win in the ongoing tournament.

After being invited to bat first, Afghanistan posted a reasonable score of 284 runs, owing to half-centuries from Rahmanullah Gurbaz (80) and Ikram Alikhil (58). Adil Rashid was key for England, who claimed a three-wicket haul for the defending champions.

Harry Brook produced a crucial fifty during the chase. His efforts went in vain, though, as England were bowled out for 215 in 40.3 overs. Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman each picked three, while Mohammad Nabi took two for Afghanistan.

Here are the talking points from the match:

Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s fiery knock

Rahmanullah Gurbaz played a significant role in Afghanistan’s first win in the ongoing competition. The opening batter amassed 80 off just 57 deliveries, including eight boundaries and four maximums. He also formed a 100-plus run partnership with Ibrahim Zadran.

Adil Rashid’s superb bowling performance 

Adil Rashid was the pick of bowlers, helping England limit Afghanistan for a reasonable total. The veteran wrist spinner claimed three wickets and gave away 42 runs in his full quota.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s exceptional bowling spell

Mujeeb Ur Rahman was key for Afghanistan to win the match against England, who has finished with excellent figures of 3/51. He has dismissed England’s Joe Root, Harry Brook, and Chris Woakes, respectively, to claim his three-wicket haul.

Also Check: Most Wickets in ODI World Cup 2023

Losing Captain Jos Buttler, England said:

Disappointing to win the toss and concede that many, me missing that first ball down the leg side set the tone. Credit to Afghanistan, they outplayed us today. It came down to execution, we weren’t quite at the level we’d like to be with both bat and ball. They have some fantastic bowlers, the dew didn’t come in as much as we expected, the ball held up a bit too. They bowled dead straight and kept the stumps in play, we just weren’t quite good enough. You got to let these defeats hurt, there’s no point in getting over things too quickly, we need to reflect. There’s a lot of character in this group, we need to show a lot of resilience and come back stronger. We need to have guys being able to perform under pressure and that’s what all of us will be working hard towards.

Winning Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afghanistan, said:

I’m quite happy, all the teammates are happy. This is the best win for us, the confidence will be there for the next game and I’m very proud. The openers get a lot of credit. They gave us a great start but unfortunately we lost back to back wickets in the middle again, lot of credit to the openers though, especially Gurbaz. Ikram was with us for the last 2 years and didn’t get a lot of chances, today I believed in him and gave him a chance and he repaid my faith. Mujeeb batted brilliantly, he led from the front and scored important runs for us. We have to score runs, our batting lineup needs to score more for our spinners. We have a lot of confidence about our spinners. Fazal started very well, the first wicket gave us a lot of momentum. When I was batting, I realized the wicket wasn’t supportive for batters against spinners. I told the boys that 280-290 will be enough when I got back into the dressing room. I want to say that the belief, trust and talent is there. Last couple of games we didn’t finish well but the belief is there. This is just the first win, we are looking for more in the tournament. This was just the first one, not the last one.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Player of the Match said:

Very proud moment to be here in the World Cup and beating the champions. It’s a great achievement for the whole team, we worked hard for this day. We beat such a big team. It was a wonderful performance from the bowlers and the batters. As a spinner, it’s pretty hard to bowl in the powerplay, you have only two fielders outside. That’s something I’ve been working in the nets. Bowling with the new ball and trying to be as consistent as possible. That’s something which has made me more effective. I am always trying to bowl stump to stump and keep it simple. We knew that the dew was going to come and play a part in the latter part. That’s why I was telling the captain to bowl me in the powerplay. We were mentally prepared. (On his batting) It’s all about the management, the players. They give me confidence in the nets. He has always been with me in the nets, my partner. He wants to hit each and every ball, that’s the area I want to contribute as well. Those 20-25 runs means a lot for the team. This trophy is for the people back home who are affected by the earthquake in Herat. This whole win is for them.