- AFG vs ENG: After the defeat to Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy, English captain Jos Butler’s pain came out. Butler also hinted at leaving the captaincy. Butler said that he will not make any emotional statement about his captaincy but all the possibilities are in front of him.
AFG vs ENG:
Afghanistan made a big upset in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Afghanistan defeated England by 8 runs in the match played at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on 26 February (Wednesday). Due to Afghanistan’s victory, the English team was out of the race for the semi-finals. This was Afghanistan’s second consecutive win against England in ODI International. Earlier in the Cricket World Cup 2023 also, the Afghan team defeated England by 69 runs.
Butler hinted at leaving the captaincy
After the defeat, England captain Jos Butler’s pain came out. Butler also hinted at leaving the captaincy. Butler, who is being criticized for his poor form, said after being eliminated from the Champions Trophy with a defeat to Afghanistan that he will not make any emotional statement about his captaincy but all the possibilities are in front of him.
Plenty for Jos Buttler and England to consider following their loss to Afghanistan at #ChampionsTrophy 2025 🤔https://t.co/CSzz45gx80
— ICC (@ICC) February 27, 2025
Jos Buttler said, ‘I will not make any emotional statement at this time. But I will think about myself and other players. We will consider all possibilities. This is very disappointing. This is very disappointing. I thought we could have won the match. Another great match, but we lost.’
Under the captaincy of Jos Buttler, England failed in the ODI World Cup (2023) held in India and the T20 World Cup 2024 held in West Indies-USA. Buttler says, ‘Afghanistan snatched the match from us in the last two overs. The credit for this goes to Ibrahim Zadran who played a brilliant innings. Joe Root also scored a brilliant century. It would have been better if any batsman could have played with him.’
Jos Buttler said, ‘Unfortunately Mark Wood suffered a knee injury in his fourth over. He deserves credit for bowling despite the pain. Root has been a great player in all formats and has shown us how to handle pressure. His ODI record is excellent. Being one of the best players in the world, it is disappointing when you do not perform well. I do not want to take any emotional decision.’
Afghan captain said this after the victory
Afghanistan captain Hasmatullah Shahidi said after the victory, ‘We are happy as a team. Our country will be happy with this victory. The match was very tense, but we controlled it well. I am happy with the result. Zadran is a talented player. We had lost three wickets in the beginning and there was pressure. The partnership between me and Zadran was important. Azmat played a good innings and also bowled brilliant overs.’
Hasmatullah Shahidi says, ‘We have talented young players and some senior players. Everyone knows their role. Everyone is performing well. Hopefully, we will maintain the same rhythm in the match against Australia. This will give us confidence but it will be a new day. That match will decide who will go to the semi-finals. We will do what is good for us on that day;
In the match, Afghanistan scored 325 runs for seven wickets thanks to Ibrahim Zadran’s century (177). In reply, the English team was all out for 317 runs in 49.5 overs. Joe Root played an innings of 120 runs for England. Afghanistan’s team will now face Australia in its next match on 28 February (Friday).
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