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England vs Afghanistan, ICC CWC, 2023 Full score card

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Match 13, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, 15 Oct, 2023

Afghanistan

AFG

284/10

(49.5) overs

England

ENG

215/10

(40.3) overs

Afghanistan beat England by 69 runs

Player Of The Match

Mujeeb Ur Rahman,
Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Summary
Scorecard
Commentary
News
England
Afghanistan

England • 215/10 (40.3 overs)

H Brook 66 (61)

D Malan 32 (39)

R Khan 3/37 (9.3)

Ur Rahman 3/51 (10)

Afghanistan • 284/10 (49.5 overs)

R Gurbaz 80 (57)

I Alikhil 58 (66)

A Rashid 3/42 (10)

M Wood 2/50 (9)

Commentary

Right then, that's all from this game and this brings an end to an action-packed weekend. However, the action continues in the 2023 ODI World Cup on Monday, 16th October where Australia will take on Sri Lanka at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. The first ball will be bowled at 2 pm IST (8.30 am GMT) but you can join us early for the build-up as well. Till then, take care and goodbye!

The captain of Afghanistan, Hashmatullah Shahidi says that he is very happy along with the entire team as well as the entire country. He adds by saying that he gives a lot of credit to the opening pair as they set the stage and started the battle really well for the team. He also adds that they are seeing Mujeeb Ur Rahman as an all-rounder as he is batting really well and getting crucial runs for the team as well as picking up those important wickets. He ends by saying that the fans are very proud and they have the believe along with the guys in the team and they believe that they can do wonders in the World Cup.

England's skipper Jos Buttler says that it was a disappointing start to the game as Afghanistan were on top of their game. Credits Afghanistan as they were the better team today. Adds by saying that they bowled straight and at the stumps and were on song with the fielding. He also said that they were hoping more dew to come as a factor but that did not happen.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman is the Player of the Match for his exceptional spell. He says that its a proud moment for the team to beat the defending champions England. Adds that for spinners it is hard to bowl in the powerplay as there are only two fielders outside the circle and he has been working on it and its paying off. On the conditions, he says that there was no dew and that's when he was confident enough to get the wickets and push the opposition on the backfoot. He finishes by saying that this Man of the Match trophy is for the people back home who are suffering from the earthquake and he would like to dedicate his performance to those people of Afghanistan.

Earlier in the game, after being inserted into bat, Afghanistan were off to a flying start as Rahmanullah Gurbaz was quick to get off the blocks. His partner, Ibrahim Zadran, did not get much strike but was happy to play the second fiddle. Thanks to Gurbaz's entertaining innings, Afghanistan were able to put the pressure on England. At 114-0, Afghanistan were going along nicely, but once the opening stand was broken, the innings began to implode. Moreover, a mix-up resulting in the departure of Gurbaz made matters worse for them. Despite wickets falling at the other end, Ibrahim Alikhil carried on and showed immense composure to reach his third ODI fifty. Rashid Khan and Mujeeb's handy cameos in the back end of the innings propelled Afghanistan to over 280. For England, Adil Rashid was the pick of the bowlers, with figures of 3 for 42 from his 10 overs. Mark Wood accounted for two wickets, while Reece Topley, Liam Livingstone, and Joe Root had a wicket each to their name. Stay tuned for the presentation ceremony...

In their pursuit of 285, England were rocked early as Jonny Bairstow was dismissed in the second over. Their mainstay Joe Root departed for a low score as well, and England found themselves struggling at 33-2. Dawid Malan and Harry Brook got together with the aim of steadying the ship, but a loose shot by Malan brought an end to their rescue act. Jos Buttler got out cheaply as did Liam Livingstone and Harry Brook found himself running out of partners. Despite what was happening at the other end, Brook was unperturbed and England were in the game till he was at the crease. However, he got out on 66 and took him with his side's hopes. With two losses from three games, England have a lot to ponder ahead of their next game against South Africa.

Afghanistan have pulled off one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history and mind you, it is only the second win for them in ODI World Cups. Having finished with a daunting total on the board, Afghanistan needed early breakthroughs considering the arrival of dew under the lights. Fazalhaq Farooqi provided them with just that as he trapped Jonny Bairstow right in front with his very first delivery. His new ball partner, Mujeeb Ur Rahman backed it up and breached through the defences of Joe Root to pile the misery on England. In the middle phase, Mohammad Nabi, Naveen-ul-Haq and Rashid Khan brought their experience into play and were rewarded with wickets. Brought back into the attack, Mujeeb Ur Rahman accounted for Harry Brook and sealed the deal for Afghanistan. Towards the end, Rashid Khan went bang, bang and run through the English tail to script history for his side. Mujeeb Ur Rahman was the star of the show with three wickets while his spin partner Rashid Khan took three wickets as well.

What's a World Cup without an upset? We have had to wait for the first upset of this World Cup but here it is, Afghanistan have outplayed and stunned the reigning ODI champions, England to produce the biggest result in their history. They say sport has the healing power and we hope that this memorable victory for Afghanistan would be able to lessen the sorrows of those affected by the recent earthquakes in the country. As far as England are concerned, they have suffered their second defeat of the competition and their hopes of proceeding to the next stage now hang by a thread.

40.3W

OUT! BOWLED'EM! All over for England! Who else but Rashid Khan wraps things up and takes Afghanistan to a historic victory. Ecstacy for Hashmatullah Shahidi and Co. as they pull off the biggest win in Afghanistan's history. Rashid Khan bowls it quicker through the air, full and at the stumps, Mark Wood makes room and tries to have a swipe across the line. He misses it altogether and sees the woodwork rattled. Rashid Khan sets off on a celebration as do the rest of his teammates. Afghanistan win by 69 runs!

40.21

Bowls a googly on a back of a length on middle and leg stump line. Reece Topley rocks back and pulls it down to long on for another single.

40.11

Bowls back of a length on the middle stump. Mark Wood gets onto the back foot and cuts it towards deep cover point for a single.

Time for Powerplay 3!

Runs Scored 14 Runs

Score after 40 overs : 213/9

R Topley14 (6)

M Wood17 (20)

F Farooqi7-0-50-1

39.64

FOUR! Make that three boundaries in a row! Goe full does Fazalhaq Farooqi, slower and outside off, Reece Topley reaches out and fetches it from outside off. Drills it through extra cover for four more runs.

39.54

FOUR! Powered down the ground! Back of a length, on middle and leg, Reece Topley backs away and flat bats it past the non-striker. Absolutely nails the shot and picks up another boundary.

39.44

FOUR! Streaky but a much-needed boundary for England! Follows the batter with a fullish delivery, Reece Topley clears his front leg and swings through the line. Gets an inside edge that races to the fine leg fence for a boundary.

39.31

Takes off-pace, on a back of a length on leg. Mark Wood is too early into the stroke and chips it. Falls agonizingly into no man's land as the batters gets across for a single.

39.21

Hits a searing yorker on the off stump. Reece Topley gives himself ample room and squeezes it out to deep cover point for a single.

39.10

Hits the good length just outside the off stump. Reece Topley heaves at it and no surprise that he misses. All three stumps very much on display.

Runs Scored 3 Runs

Score after 39 overs : 199/9

M Wood16 (19)

R Topley1 (1)

R Khan9-1-35-2

38.60

Oh, just short or did it carry? Full and turning away, on off, Mark Wood makes room and tries to thrash it through covers but fails to keep his shot along the ground. Hits it uppishly towards cover where the ball just about carries to Fazalhaq Farooqi as dives forward but fails to cling on.

38.51

Short and wide outside the off stump. Reece Topley rocks back and cuts the ball towards deep cover point for a single.

Reece Topley is the last man in.

38.4W

OUT! CAUGHT! Rashid Khan gets the break with a beautiful delivery tossed up outside the off stump, calling Adil Rashid out to offer a shot. The ball pitches and leaves the batter and all Adil Rashid could do was get an edge behind to Mohammad Nabi standing at first slip who takes a very low catch. England 9 down now.

38.31

Tossed up outside the leg stump this time. Mark Wood looks to heave the ball over the deep mid-wicket fielder but in turn gets an inside edge towards short fine leg for a single

38.20

Short ball just outside the off stump. Mark Wood looks to cut the ball but misses it completely.

38.11

Tossed up ball outside the off stump. Adil Rashid flicks the ball to long on for a single off the first ball.

Runs Scored 6 Runs

Score after 38 overs : 196/8

M Wood15 (16)

A Rashid19 (11)

F Farooqi6-0-36-1

37.60

Banged into the track outside off. Seems to come off a lot slower than Mark Wood expected as he flicks the ball straight to mid-wicket.

37.51

Fullish outside the off stump. Adil Rashid gives it everything he has and slices it on the bounce to deep cover point.

37.41

Shortish length, on off, Mark Wood steers with an open bat face to third man for a single.

37.34

FOUR! Cut away! Back of a length, around off, Mark Wood gives himself room by moving to the leg side and cuts it wide of backward point for a boundary.

37.20

On a length, outside off, Mark Wood tries to latch onto the width but misses out on the connection.

Commentary

Welcome back for England's reply. The Afghanistan players are in a huddle near the ropes before they disperse. Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan are the opening batters for England. Mujeeb Ur Rahman is going to start the attack for Afghanistan. Lets Play!

... THE RUN CHASE ...

England has not been at their best in this World Cup, and today, they made several mistakes and fumbles that they would want to avoid. The new ball bowlers struggled to find their rhythm, putting England on the back foot in the initial stages of the game. Adil Rashid came in and took two crucial wickets, putting pressure on the Afghan batters. Reece Topley also performed well with the new ball and in the death overs. Mark Wood's extra pace proved too much for the Afghan batsmen as he also claimed a couple of crucial wickets. The task now lies in England's hands as they chase 285 runs in 50 overs on a good batting wicket. Afghanistan seems to be around 30 runs short of a par score, and they will hope that their bowlers have some tricks up their sleeves to challenge a strong batting lineup like England's. What will happen in the second innings? Let's find out in the upcoming session.

Liam Livingstone is in for a chat. He says that the ball held up a bit for spinners and adds that it is a small ground. Mentions that it looks a good pitch and hopes that dew comes in. Shares that he tried to keep it at the stumps and vary the pace. Further adds that he was working on his bowling and prides himself to have an impact on the game.

Afghanistan got off to an excellent start, with their opening batsmen amassing 114 runs for the first wicket in just 15 overs. This is the first time in World cups that Afghanistan's openers have crossed the 100 run partnership mark. Rahmanullah Gurbaz was outstanding, taking on the English bowlers from the very beginning and went on to score 80 of just 56 balls. He and Ibrahim Zadran provided Afghanistan with a strong platform to build on, and at one point, it seemed they might reach the 350-run mark. However, Afghanistan soon found themselves at 122-3, with both openers and Rahmat Shah back in the pavilion. The Afghan middle order struggled to score runs during the middle overs, and wickets fell at regular intervals. Ikram Alikhil stepped up and played a courageous half-century to guide Afghanistan to a respectable total in the first innings.

That brings us to the end of the first innings of the match between England and Afghanistan, with Afghanistan posting a total of 284 runs after being put into bat losing all their wickets in 49.5 overs on a wicket that looks really good for batting. This has been Afghanistan's second-highest total in the history of ODI World Cups.

49.5W

OUT! RUN OUT! Afghanistan have been bowled out for 284! Reece Topley rolls his fingers over the ball and goes into the wicket, on off, Fazalhaq Farooqi goes for a swing across the line but swings too early and misses. The batters think of sneaking a bye as the ball rolls behind the wicket. Jos Buttler is alert as he hits the stumps at the batting end with an underarm throw and catches Naveen-ul-Haq yards out of his crease.

49.41

Nails the yorker, on the toes, Naveen-ul-Haq jams it out in front of square on the leg side for a single.

49.30

Fullish length, outside off, Naveen-ul-Haq walks across to scoop it behind the wicket but misses out on the connection.

49.21

Back of a length, on middle, Fazalhaq Farooqi tries to punch it away but mistimes it to mid on for a single.

49.10

Full and slanting in, on off and middle, Fazalhaq Farooqi blocks it out onto the deck.

Runs Scored 5 Runs

Score after 49 overs : 282/9

Naveen4 (4)

F Farooqi1 (1)

M Wood9-0-50-2

48.64

EDGED AND FOUR! Back of a length, outside off, Naveen-ul-Haq slashes hard at the delivery but gets an outside edge that flies wide of backward point for a boundary.

48.50

On a good length, skidding on, outside off, Naveen-ul-Haq throws his hands at the delivery but gets beaten for pace.

48.40

On a length again, on off, Naveen-ul-Haq keeps it out on the off side.

48.30

Targets the pads, on a good length, Naveen-ul-Haq misses the clip and gets rapped on the thigh pad. The ball rolls to backward point but the batters decide not to run a single.

Fazalhaq Farooqi is the last batter in for Afghanistan.

48.21

Honing in at the stumps, on a full length, Naveen-ul-Haq drops it on the off side from the crease and crosses over for a quick single.

48.1W

OUT! IN THE AIR AND GONE! Mark Wood strikes now! Pace on this time by Mark Wood on a back of a length, on middle, Mujeeb Ur Rahman clears his front leg and swings across the line. The ball skids on and he ends up getting a top edge that goes high in the air but as far as point. Joe Root settles under the skier and gobbles it with both hands. That makes it four catches for Root in this game so far.

Naveen-ul-Haq is the new batter in.

Runs Scored 14 Runs

Score after 48 overs : 277/8

I Alikhil58 (66)

Ur Rahman28 (15)

R Topley8-1-50-1

47.6W

OUT! CAUGHT! The change of pace does the trick for Reece Topley! Bowls it from the back of the hand and goes into the wicket, slower as well, on off, Ikram Alikhil waits for the ball to arrive and slaps it down the ground. Does not manage to get enough bat to clear long and hits it straight down the throat of Sam Curran who does the rest. End of a fine knock by the young Afghan batter.

47.53

Dishes out in the blackhole, on middle and leg, Mujeeb Ur Rahman clears his front leg and swats it through mid-wicket. Chris Woakes at long on, sprints and makes a tumbling stop to his right. He manages to hold onto the ball as he tumbles and keeps the ball in play. Three runs taken.

47.52nb

NO BALL! It's all going Afghanistan's way here! Reece Topley tries to go full but loses his grip and ends up bowling a beamer, on off and middle, Ikram Alikhil pulls it off the front foot to deep mid-wicket for a single.

47.41

Follows the batter with a full delivery, Mujeeb Ur Rahman helps it off his pads to fine leg and turns the strike.

47.31

Goes fullish and outside off, Ikram Alikhil drills it hard through covers for a single.

47.26

SIX! Heaved away! Reece Topley bowls the back-of-the-hand slower delivery, on a length, on middle, Ikram Alikhil reads the change of pace well and gets down to slog. Does not get it from the middle of the bat but gets enough bat to clear the deep mid-wicket fence for a maximum.

47.11

Bowls it on a yorker length, around leg, Mujeeb Ur Rahman makes room and jams it out in front of square on the leg side for a single.

Runs Scored 8 Runs

Score after 47 overs : 263/7

I Alikhil50 (62)

Ur Rahman23 (12)

M Wood8-0-45-1

46.60

This is bowled on a good length, on middle, Ikram Alikhil gets behind the line and pats it back to the bowler.

46.52

FIFTY for Ikram Alikhil! Third ODI fifty for the young southpaw. Mark Wood bangs it in short, at the batter, Ikram Alikhil gets hurried into the shot and fends it awkwardly as the ball lobs over the keeper. Reece Topley sprints to his right and puts in a dive to save a couple of runs for his side.

46.41

Dishes out a searing yorker, on leg, Mujeeb Ur Rahman moves leg side but gets surprised by the length. Gets his bat down in time and squeezes out an inside edge to fine leg where Reece Topley makes good ground to his right and keeps it ot a single.

46.34

FOUR! Streaky but they all count! On the off stump line, on a hard length, Mujeeb Ur Rahman clears his front leg and swings hard and across the line. Gets an outside edge that flies over the keeper and wide of third man for a boundary.

England
Afghanistan
Batter R B 4s 6s SR
J Bairstow

lbw b F Farooqi

2 4 0 0 50
D Malan

c I Zadran b M Nabi

32 39 4 0 82.05
J Root

b Ur Rahman

11 17 2 0 64.70
H Brook

c I Alikhil b Ur Rahman

66 61 7 1 108.19
J Buttler

b Naveen

9 18 1 0 50
L Livingstone

lbw b R Khan

10 14 1 0 71.42
S Curran

c R Shah b M Nabi

10 23 0 0 43.47
C Woakes

b Ur Rahman

9 26 1 0 34.61
A Rashid

c M Nabi b R Khan

20 13 2 0 153.84
M Wood

b R Khan

18 22 3 0 81.81
R Topley

not out

15 7 3 0 214.28
Extras

(b 0,lb 4,w 8,nb 1,Penalty 0)

13
Total 40.3 (RR: 5.31)
215/10

Did not bat:

Fall of wickets:

(J Bairstow, 1.1 ov) (J Root, 6.5 ov) (D Malan, 12.4 ov) (J Buttler, 17.2 ov) (L Livingstone, 20.4 ov) (S Curran, 27.1 ov) (C Woakes, 33 ov) (H Brook, 34.2 ov) (A Rashid, 38.4 ov) (M Wood, 40.3 ov)
Bowler O M R W ER
Ur Rahman
10 1 51 3 5.10
F Farooqi
7 0 50 1 7.14
Naveen
6 1 44 1 7.33
M Nabi
6 0 16 2 2.66
R Khan
9.3 1 37 3 3.89
A Omarzai
2 0 13 0 6.50
Batter R B 4s 6s SR
R Gurbaz

run out (sub D Willey / J Buttler)

80 57 8 4 140.35
I Zadran

c J Root b A Rashid

28 48 3 0 58.33
R Shah

st J Buttler b A Rashid

3 8 0 0 37.50
H Shahidi

b J Root

14 36 0 0 38.88
A Omarzai

c C Woakes b L Livingstone

19 24 1 1 79.16
I Alikhil

c S Curran b R Topley

58 66 3 2 87.87
M Nabi

c J Root b M Wood

9 15 1 0 60
R Khan

c J Root b A Rashid

23 22 3 0 104.54
Ur Rahman

c J Root b M Wood

28 16 3 1 175
Naveen

run out (J Buttler)

5 6 1 0 83.33
F Farooqi

not out

2 4 0 0 50
Extras

(b 0,lb 1,w 11,nb 3,Penalty 0)

15
Total 49.5 (RR: 5.7)
284/10

Did not bat:

Fall of wickets:

(I Zadran, 16.4 ov) (R Shah, 18.4 ov) (R Gurbaz, 18.5 ov) (A Omarzai, 26 ov) (H Shahidi, 32.1 ov) (M Nabi, 36.1 ov) (R Khan, 44.1 ov) (I Alikhil, 48 ov) (Ur Rahman, 48.1 ov) (Naveen, 49.5 ov)
Bowler O M R W ER
C Woakes
4 0 41 0 10.25
R Topley
8.5 1 52 1 5.88
S Curran
4 0 46 0 11.50
A Rashid
10 1 42 3 4.20
M Wood
9 0 50 2 5.55
L Livingstone
10 0 33 1 3.30
J Root
4 0 19 1 4.75
England
Afghanistan

Commentary

Right then, that's all from this game and this brings an end to an action-packed weekend. However, the action continues in the 2023 ODI World Cup on Monday, 16th October where Australia will take on Sri Lanka at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. The first ball will be bowled at 2 pm IST (8.30 am GMT) but you can join us early for the build-up as well. Till then, take care and goodbye!

The captain of Afghanistan, Hashmatullah Shahidi says that he is very happy along with the entire team as well as the entire country. He adds by saying that he gives a lot of credit to the opening pair as they set the stage and started the battle really well for the team. He also adds that they are seeing Mujeeb Ur Rahman as an all-rounder as he is batting really well and getting crucial runs for the team as well as picking up those important wickets. He ends by saying that the fans are very proud and they have the believe along with the guys in the team and they believe that they can do wonders in the World Cup.

England's skipper Jos Buttler says that it was a disappointing start to the game as Afghanistan were on top of their game. Credits Afghanistan as they were the better team today. Adds by saying that they bowled straight and at the stumps and were on song with the fielding. He also said that they were hoping more dew to come as a factor but that did not happen.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman is the Player of the Match for his exceptional spell. He says that its a proud moment for the team to beat the defending champions England. Adds that for spinners it is hard to bowl in the powerplay as there are only two fielders outside the circle and he has been working on it and its paying off. On the conditions, he says that there was no dew and that's when he was confident enough to get the wickets and push the opposition on the backfoot. He finishes by saying that this Man of the Match trophy is for the people back home who are suffering from the earthquake and he would like to dedicate his performance to those people of Afghanistan.

Earlier in the game, after being inserted into bat, Afghanistan were off to a flying start as Rahmanullah Gurbaz was quick to get off the blocks. His partner, Ibrahim Zadran, did not get much strike but was happy to play the second fiddle. Thanks to Gurbaz's entertaining innings, Afghanistan were able to put the pressure on England. At 114-0, Afghanistan were going along nicely, but once the opening stand was broken, the innings began to implode. Moreover, a mix-up resulting in the departure of Gurbaz made matters worse for them. Despite wickets falling at the other end, Ibrahim Alikhil carried on and showed immense composure to reach his third ODI fifty. Rashid Khan and Mujeeb's handy cameos in the back end of the innings propelled Afghanistan to over 280. For England, Adil Rashid was the pick of the bowlers, with figures of 3 for 42 from his 10 overs. Mark Wood accounted for two wickets, while Reece Topley, Liam Livingstone, and Joe Root had a wicket each to their name. Stay tuned for the presentation ceremony...

In their pursuit of 285, England were rocked early as Jonny Bairstow was dismissed in the second over. Their mainstay Joe Root departed for a low score as well, and England found themselves struggling at 33-2. Dawid Malan and Harry Brook got together with the aim of steadying the ship, but a loose shot by Malan brought an end to their rescue act. Jos Buttler got out cheaply as did Liam Livingstone and Harry Brook found himself running out of partners. Despite what was happening at the other end, Brook was unperturbed and England were in the game till he was at the crease. However, he got out on 66 and took him with his side's hopes. With two losses from three games, England have a lot to ponder ahead of their next game against South Africa.

Afghanistan have pulled off one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history and mind you, it is only the second win for them in ODI World Cups. Having finished with a daunting total on the board, Afghanistan needed early breakthroughs considering the arrival of dew under the lights. Fazalhaq Farooqi provided them with just that as he trapped Jonny Bairstow right in front with his very first delivery. His new ball partner, Mujeeb Ur Rahman backed it up and breached through the defences of Joe Root to pile the misery on England. In the middle phase, Mohammad Nabi, Naveen-ul-Haq and Rashid Khan brought their experience into play and were rewarded with wickets. Brought back into the attack, Mujeeb Ur Rahman accounted for Harry Brook and sealed the deal for Afghanistan. Towards the end, Rashid Khan went bang, bang and run through the English tail to script history for his side. Mujeeb Ur Rahman was the star of the show with three wickets while his spin partner Rashid Khan took three wickets as well.

What's a World Cup without an upset? We have had to wait for the first upset of this World Cup but here it is, Afghanistan have outplayed and stunned the reigning ODI champions, England to produce the biggest result in their history. They say sport has the healing power and we hope that this memorable victory for Afghanistan would be able to lessen the sorrows of those affected by the recent earthquakes in the country. As far as England are concerned, they have suffered their second defeat of the competition and their hopes of proceeding to the next stage now hang by a thread.

40.3W

OUT! BOWLED'EM! All over for England! Who else but Rashid Khan wraps things up and takes Afghanistan to a historic victory. Ecstacy for Hashmatullah Shahidi and Co. as they pull off the biggest win in Afghanistan's history. Rashid Khan bowls it quicker through the air, full and at the stumps, Mark Wood makes room and tries to have a swipe across the line. He misses it altogether and sees the woodwork rattled. Rashid Khan sets off on a celebration as do the rest of his teammates. Afghanistan win by 69 runs!

40.21

Bowls a googly on a back of a length on middle and leg stump line. Reece Topley rocks back and pulls it down to long on for another single.

40.11

Bowls back of a length on the middle stump. Mark Wood gets onto the back foot and cuts it towards deep cover point for a single.

Time for Powerplay 3!

Runs Scored 14 Runs

Score after 40 overs : 213/9

R Topley14 (6)

M Wood17 (20)

F Farooqi7-0-50-1

39.64

FOUR! Make that three boundaries in a row! Goe full does Fazalhaq Farooqi, slower and outside off, Reece Topley reaches out and fetches it from outside off. Drills it through extra cover for four more runs.

39.54

FOUR! Powered down the ground! Back of a length, on middle and leg, Reece Topley backs away and flat bats it past the non-striker. Absolutely nails the shot and picks up another boundary.

39.44

FOUR! Streaky but a much-needed boundary for England! Follows the batter with a fullish delivery, Reece Topley clears his front leg and swings through the line. Gets an inside edge that races to the fine leg fence for a boundary.

39.31

Takes off-pace, on a back of a length on leg. Mark Wood is too early into the stroke and chips it. Falls agonizingly into no man's land as the batters gets across for a single.

39.21

Hits a searing yorker on the off stump. Reece Topley gives himself ample room and squeezes it out to deep cover point for a single.

39.10

Hits the good length just outside the off stump. Reece Topley heaves at it and no surprise that he misses. All three stumps very much on display.

Runs Scored 3 Runs

Score after 39 overs : 199/9

M Wood16 (19)

R Topley1 (1)

R Khan9-1-35-2

38.60

Oh, just short or did it carry? Full and turning away, on off, Mark Wood makes room and tries to thrash it through covers but fails to keep his shot along the ground. Hits it uppishly towards cover where the ball just about carries to Fazalhaq Farooqi as dives forward but fails to cling on.

38.51

Short and wide outside the off stump. Reece Topley rocks back and cuts the ball towards deep cover point for a single.

Reece Topley is the last man in.

38.4W

OUT! CAUGHT! Rashid Khan gets the break with a beautiful delivery tossed up outside the off stump, calling Adil Rashid out to offer a shot. The ball pitches and leaves the batter and all Adil Rashid could do was get an edge behind to Mohammad Nabi standing at first slip who takes a very low catch. England 9 down now.

38.31

Tossed up outside the leg stump this time. Mark Wood looks to heave the ball over the deep mid-wicket fielder but in turn gets an inside edge towards short fine leg for a single

38.20

Short ball just outside the off stump. Mark Wood looks to cut the ball but misses it completely.

38.11

Tossed up ball outside the off stump. Adil Rashid flicks the ball to long on for a single off the first ball.

Runs Scored 6 Runs

Score after 38 overs : 196/8

M Wood15 (16)

A Rashid19 (11)

F Farooqi6-0-36-1

37.60

Banged into the track outside off. Seems to come off a lot slower than Mark Wood expected as he flicks the ball straight to mid-wicket.

37.51

Fullish outside the off stump. Adil Rashid gives it everything he has and slices it on the bounce to deep cover point.

37.41

Shortish length, on off, Mark Wood steers with an open bat face to third man for a single.

37.34

FOUR! Cut away! Back of a length, around off, Mark Wood gives himself room by moving to the leg side and cuts it wide of backward point for a boundary.

37.20

On a length, outside off, Mark Wood tries to latch onto the width but misses out on the connection.

37.10

Full and slower, on off and middle, Mark Wood gets behind the line and defends it on the off side.

Runs Scored 8 Runs

Score after 37 overs : 190/8

A Rashid18 (10)

M Wood10 (11)

Ur Rahman10-1-51-3

36.60

Tossed up, on off, Adil Rashid gets a good stride in and blocks it out solidly.

36.51

This is bowled full, on the pads, Mark Wood clips it in front of square on the leg side for a single.

36.45

Buzzers! Drops it short, on middle and leg, Adil Rashid places it with soft hands to the right of the bowler and sets off for a single. Mujeeb Ur Rahman slides to his right and has a shy at the non-striker's end. He fails to hit the stumps and there is no one to back up the throw. The ball races away for a boundary.

36.31

Short and around off, Mark Wood extends his arms and pushes it through covers for a single.

36.20

Bowls it flatter and on off, Mark Wood hangs back and keeps it out on the off side.

36.11

Full and on off, Adil Rashid gets a good stride in and works it in front of mid-wicket for a run.

Runs Scored 9 Runs

Score after 36 overs : 182/8

M Wood8 (8)

A Rashid12 (7)

R Khan8-1-32-1

35.64

FOUR! Nicely done! Floated up, on middle, Mark Wood gets down and sweeps it well in front of square for a boundary.

35.50

Flatter and on off, Mark Wood tries to punch it on the off side but gets beaten on the outside edge.

35.40

Fullish delivery, outside off, Mark Wood tries to squeeze this one out on the off side but misses out on the connect. There was a noise as the ball went past the bat but it was the bat hitting the ground.

35.30

Googly, full and turning into the pads, Mark Wood gets forward to defend but the ball spins in sharply and he wears it on the front pad.

35.21

1 run.

35.14

FOUR! Short ball at the stumps. Adil Rashid pulls it away over mid-wicket for a boundary.

Runs Scored 5 Runs

Score after 35 overs : 173/8

M Wood4 (4)

A Rashid7 (5)

Ur Rahman9-1-43-3

34.60

Just short again on the off stump. Mark Wood plays the ball off the front foot back to the bowler.

34.54

FOUR! Tossed up by Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mark Wood steps out and lofts it straight over mid off for a welcome boundary.

34.40

Short again at the stumps. Mark Wood offers the front foot defence back to the bowler.

34.30

Just short outside the off stump. Mark Wood goes back and blocks the ball back to the bowler.

Mark Wood walks out to bat now.

34.2W

OUT! CAUGHT BEHIND! Mujeeb Ur Rahman drops one short outside the off stump with pace and Harry Brook goes back to cut it in the end finding a feather back to Ikram Alikhil the wicketkeeper who does not make a mistake. That should do it for Afghanistan.

34.11

Tossed up outside the off stump. Adil Rashid flicks the ball to long on for a single.

Runs Scored 8 Runs

Score after 34 overs : 168/7

A Rashid6 (4)

H Brook66 (60)

Naveen6-1-44-1

33.61

Just short outside the off stump. Adil Rashid plays it late to the left of point for a single to end the over.

33.50

Hits the good length with pace outside the off stump. Adil Rashid offers a front foot defence towards covers.

33.41

Slower ball from the good length at the batter. Harry Brook flicks the ball to deep square leg for a single.

33.31

Short and wide outside the off stump. Adil Rashid opens the face of the bat towards third man for a single.

33.24

FOUR! What a start to the innings. Pitched up on the pads and Adil Rashid flicks the ball to deep square leg fence for a welcome boundary.

33.11

Just short outside the off stump. Harry Brook plays it late to third man for a single.

Adil Rashid is the new man in.

Runs Scored 0 Runs

Score after 33 overs : 160/7

C Woakes9 (26)

H Brook64 (58)

Ur Rahman8-1-38-2

32.6W

OUT! GETS THE TIMBER! What a ball, set up perfectly outside the off stump wanting Chris Woakes to come forward and then turning in between the bat and pad onto the stumps. Superb bowling by Mujeeb Ur Rahman and England slip further.

32.50

Shortish outside off. This one nips the other way and goes past Woakes' flailing blade.

32.40

Full outside off. Woakes plonks his front foot and prods it into the off side.

32.30

Pitched up again outside the off stump. Chris Woakes blocks the ball on the front foot.

32.20

Pitches the ball up on the middle stump line. Chris Woakes takes the front leg across in order to block the ball, misses the ball completely and the ball hits the front leg pads. There is a huge appeal for LBW and the umpire says yes. Chris Woakes takes the review and Ball Tracking shows the ball to be missing the leg stump.

32.10

Pitches the ball up at the stumps. Chris Woakes offers a front foot defence back to the bowler.

Runs Scored 6 Runs

Score after 32 overs : 160/6

H Brook64 (58)

C Woakes9 (20)

Naveen5-1-36-1

31.60

Pitched up on the off stump. Harry Brook pushes the ball to covers. No run.

31.51

Pitched up outside the off stump. Chris Woakes plays the cover drive but gets an outside edge to third man for a run.

31.40

Short ball outside the off stump. Chris Woakes gets beaten by the pace while nabbing it to third man.

31.34

FOUR! Pitched up outside the off stump and Chris Woakes plays the cover drive to perfection beating sweepers to his right for a welcome boundary.

31.20

Bowls up outside the off stump. Chris Woakes looks to go over the top on the off side but gets the inside part of the bat to covers. No run.

31.11

Starts off with a good length ball outside the off stump. Harry Brook pushes the ball to sweepers for a single.

Drinks break! Afghanistan continue to dominate the proceedings. There have been some lapses in the field lately and they need to pick themselves up. With only four wickets remaining, Harry Brook will have to do the bulk of the scoring for England and will hope for support from the lower order. This game is nicely poised as Hashmatullah Shahidi now brings Naveen-ul-Haq (4-1-30-1) back into the attack in search of a breakthrough.

Runs Scored 11 Runs

Score after 31 overs : 154/6

H Brook63 (56)

C Woakes4 (16)

Ur Rahman7-0-38-1

30.61

Just short at the stumps. Harry Brook pushes the ball to long on for a single.

30.56

SIX! What a pick up shot. Mujeeb Ur Rahman drifts down the leg side and Harry Brook gets down on one knee and lofts the ball to the backward square leg boundary for a maximum.

30.42

Short and wide. Harry Brook plays it late to the gap between point and short third man and the batters take 2 runs.

30.30

Just short at the off stump line. Harry Brook pushes the ball straight to covers.

30.21

Pitched up at the stumps. Chris Woakes pushes the ball to the left of mid-wicket and runs a risky single. A bad bounce in front of the rushing Ibrahim Zadran results in a not so clean pick up, allowing Woakes to complete the run.

30.11

Just short at the stumps. Harry Brook pushes the ball to long on for a single.

Runs Scored 2 Runs

Score after 30 overs : 143/6

C Woakes3 (15)

H Brook53 (51)

M Nabi6-0-16-2

29.60

Goes back to short length, on off, Chris Woakes taps it off the back foot towards Nabi for another dot.

29.50

Floats it up, full and turning in, on middle and leg, Chris Woakes plays all around it and gets caught on the front pad. Half an appeal but the ball was heading down leg.

29.40

Drops it short, on off, Chris Woakes waits in his crease and blocks the ball onto the deck.

29.30

Offers flight, full and around off, Chris Woakes drives it down the ground but fails to beat mid off.

29.21

On the off stump line, short in length, Harry Brook goes back and cuts it in front of square for a single.

29.10

Full and on the stumps, clipped straight to mid-wicket.

29.11wd

WIDE! Short but down leg, left alone by Harry Brook for a wide.

Runs Scored 0 Runs

Score after 29 overs : 141/6

C Woakes3 (11)

H Brook52 (49)

R Khan7-1-23-1

28.60

A maiden by Rashid Khan! Bowls a leg break, full and turning away, outside off, Chris Woakes goes for the drive away from his body and gets beaten by the sharp away turn.

28.50

Quicker through the air, short and on off, Chris Woakes hangs on the back foot and gets his bat down in time to pat it back to the bowler.

28.40

Drags the length back and serves it on off, Chris Woakes prods half-forward and stabs it on the leg side.

28.30

Fullish delivery, on middle, Chris Woakes drives it firmly back to the bowler.

28.20

Googly, turning in, on middle, Chris Woakes reads it well and defends with a straight bat.

28.10

Floated up, outside off, Chris Woakes drives with the turn but is unable to get it past extra cover.

Runs Scored 3 Runs

Score after 28 overs : 141/6

C Woakes3 (5)

H Brook52 (49)

M Nabi5-0-14-2

27.61

Short and around off, Chris Woakes goes back and eases it in front of square for a single.

27.50

Fires this one in, short and on off, the ball keeps a tad low but Chris Woakes manages well to keep it out to short third man.

27.40

A bit too full, on middle and leg, Chris Woakes works it off the pads to backward square leg.

27.32

Short and wide outside off, Chris Woakes goes on the back foot and cuts it against the turn. Hits it to the left of deep point where Rashid Khan slides to his left but fails to pick it up cleanly, conceding an extra run.

27.20

Turning in, short and on middle, Chris Woakes blocks it out with a straight bat.

Chris Woakes is the new batter in for England.

27.1W

OUT! EDGED AND GONE! Mohammad Nabi gets another left-hander and this time it's Sam Curran! Bowls it from 'round the wicket and loops it up, full and on off, Sam Curran tries to defend this one out. However, he does not get to the pitch of the ball and fails to smother the ball. Gets only half-forward to defend and pushes at the delivery. The outside edge that travels quickly to first slip where Rahmat Shah takes a good low catch in front. Mohammad Nabi is now the leading wicket-taker for Afghanistan in ODI World Cups with 15 wickets to his name.

Runs Scored 4 Runs

Score after 27 overs : 138/5

S Curran10 (22)

H Brook52 (49)

R Khan6-0-23-1

26.61

Pitched up at the stumps. Sam Curran flicks the ball to deep mid-wicket for a single.

26.51

Short ball at the stumps. Harry Brook pulls the ball to long on for a run.

26.41

Just short at the off stump. Sam Curran goes back and plays the ball to long on for a single.

26.31

Pitched up at the stumps. Harry Brook flicks the ball to long on for a single.

26.20

No run. Tossed up on the off stump, spinning away. Harry Brook gets beaten on the outside edge.

26.10

Pitched up on the off stump. Harry Brook pushes the ball to covers.

Runs Scored 2 Runs

Score after 26 overs : 134/5

S Curran8 (20)

H Brook50 (45)

M Nabi4-0-11-1

25.60

Skidding on, short in length, Sam Curran manages to get his bat down in time and keeps it out to cover.

25.50

Tossed up, on off, Sam Curran prods forward and blocks it out on the off side.

25.40

On middle, full as well, Sam Curran works it down the wicket for another dot.

25.30

Pushed through, full and on middle, blocked out off the front foot.

25.21

FIFTY for Harry Brook! A brilliant knock under pressure from England's young sensation. Slower and shorter, on middle, Harry Brook stays back and pushes it to the right of the bowler for a single. Not much of a celebration as he knows the job is far from over yet.

25.11

Turning in, short and on off, Sam Curran eases it to deep cover for a run.

Runs Scored 3 Runs

Score after 25 overs : 132/5

S Curran7 (15)

H Brook49 (44)

R Khan5-0-19-1

24.61

Around leg, short in length, Sam Curran nudges it off the inner half of the bat to backward square leg for a run.

24.50

Keeps it flatter, at the stumps, Sam Curran plays it back to the bowler.

24.41

Turning in, short and around middle, Harry Brook punches it to short mid-wicket where a midfield by Ibrahim Zadran again, results in a single.

24.30

A confident appeal for LBW but the ball was sliding down leg! Slips in the googly, full and on the pads, Harry Brook gets a good stride in but the ball sneaks past the inside edge to ping him on the front pad. Rashid Khan indicates that the ball is going down leg and Afghanistan do not take the review.

24.20

Much straighter and quicker, full and on off, Harry Brook blocks it out with a straight bat.

24.11

Floated up but down leg, Sam Curran eases it behind square on the leg side for a single.

Runs Scored 3 Runs

Score after 24 overs : 129/5

H Brook48 (41)

S Curran5 (12)

M Nabi3-0-9-1

23.60

Turning into the batter, on off, Harry Brook stands tall and stabs it to short extra cover.

23.51

Drags it back and bowls it on off, Sam Curran punches it on the up to short extra cover where Ibrahim Zadran fumbles and concedes a single.

23.40

Bowls it with round arm and tosses it up, on middle, Sam Curran prods forward and defends.

23.31

At the stumps, fractionally short, Harry Brook goes back and knocks it through mid on for a run.

23.21

Shorter and on off, punched away to deep cover for a single.

23.10

Angling into the pads, Sam Curran eases it from the crease to mid-wicket.

Runs Scored 1 Runs

Score after 23 overs : 126/5

H Brook47 (39)

S Curran3 (8)

R Khan4-0-16-1

22.60

Dishes out a googly, short and on off, Harry Brook bunts it from the crease to short extra cover.

22.51

Drops it short, outside off, Sam Curran reads the googly and cuts it to deep point for a single.

22.40

Fired at the pads, Sam Curran fails to tickle away this short delivery and wears it on the thigh pad.

22.30

Full and on the pads, clipped to short mid-wicket by Sam Curran.

22.20

Rashid with another googly, short and on off, Sam Curran plays it down to mid off for another dot.

22.10

Quicker and shorter on the pads, Sam Curran misses out on the clip and gets hit high on the thigh pad.

Runs Scored 6 Runs

Score after 22 overs : 125/5

S Curran2 (3)

H Brook47 (38)

A Omarzai2-0-13-0

21.61

Angling into the pads, on a short of a length, Sam Curran tucks it in front of square for a single.

21.50

Serves it on off, on a back of a length, Sam Curran guides it from the crease to backward point.

21.41

Goes full and around off, Harry Brook drives it through covers for a single.

21.34

FOUR! Nicely done! Offers width outside off, on a back of a length, Harry Brook stands tall and cuts it wide of backward point for a boundary.

21.20

Skidding on, on a back of a length, around leg, Harry Brook misses the tuck and wears it high on the front pad.

21.10

In the channel on off, on a length, Harry Brook dabs it from the crease to point.

Runs Scored 4 Runs

Score after 21 overs : 119/5

H Brook42 (34)

S Curran1 (1)

R Khan3-0-15-1

20.61

Another googly, short and at the stumps, Harry Brook punches it to the right of the bowler. Rashid Khan dives to his right and parries the ball to long on for a single.

20.51

Oh, almost another one! Bowls the googly, short and quicker, on middle, Sam Curran hangs on the back foot to work it across the line but closes the bat face early. Gets a  soft leading edge that drops in front of point for a single.

Sam Curran is the new man in.

20.4W

OUT! LBW! Rashid Khan gets into the act now as he gets the wicket of Liam Livingstone! England in all sorts of trouble as they have lost half their side now. Tosses it up, quicker through the air, full and on off, Liam Livingstone lunges forward and reaches out in front to turn it on the leg side. Gets beaten in the flight and plays down the wrong line as well. Gets pinged on the front pad and the umpire has no hesitation in raising the finger. Liam Livingstone goes for the review, more in hope though. The UltraEdge shows no spike and it is three reds on Ball Tracking. England lose Livingstone and the review.

20.30

Pitched up and the ball skids through,  Liam Livingstone finds himself slightly flat-footed while playing the cut, straight out to covers.

20.21

Serves a googly and bowls it from well behind of the crease, short and on middle, Harry Brook goes on the back foot and punches it down to long on for a run.

20.11

Quicker through the air, turning away, outside off, Liam Livingstone reaches out in front and dabs it in front of cover for a single.

Runs Scored 7 Runs

Score after 20 overs : 115/4

H Brook40 (32)

L Livingstone9 (11)

A Omarzai1-0-7-0

19.60

Angling in, on a length, on off and middle, Harry Brook gets behind the line and pats it back to the bowler.

19.51

Shaping away, on a good length, outside off, Liam Livingstone pushes away from the body and gets an outside edge that goes to third man for a single.

19.40

Pitched up outside the off stump. Liam Livingstone takes the front leg out, opens the face of the bat and guides the ball into the hands of covers.

19.31

Bowled on the pads from a good length. Harry Brook turns the ball to the leg side with a flick of the wrists.

19.24

FOUR! Short, wide and punished once again by Harry Brook. Just short outside the off stump and Harry Brook rocks back and plays the ball late to the left of point to pick up another 4.

19.11

Short ball just outside the off stump. Liam Livingstone looks to pull the ball but gets a bottom edge to third man for a single.

Runs Scored 3 Runs

Score after 19 overs : 108/4

L Livingstone7 (8)

H Brook35 (29)

R Khan2-0-11-0

18.61

Pitched up at the stumps. Liam Livingstone flicks the ball to long on for a single to end the over.

18.51

Short ball outsid ethe off stump coming in. Harry Brook plays it straight to long on from the crease for a single.

18.41

Short again at the stumps. Liam Livingstone goes back and pushes the ball to long on for a single.

18.30

Just short at the stumps. Liam Livingstone flicks it straight to mid-wicket.

18.20

Googly from outside the off stump coming back into the right hander. Liam Livingstone gets an inside edge to the pads of the wicketkeeper.

18.10

Tossed up ball outside the off stump. Liam Livingstone offers a front foot defence towards covers.

Runs Scored 15 Runs

Score after 18 overs : 105/4

H Brook34 (28)

L Livingstone5 (3)

Naveen4-1-30-1

17.64

FOUR! Short ball this time, just outside the off stump. Harry Brook stands tall, rocks back and pulls the ball in front of square for a boundary to end a big over for England in spite of the wicket.

17.54

FOUR! What a cracker off the front by Harry Brook. Naveen-ul-Haq pitches it up at the off stumps and Harry Brook takes the front foot out and plays a perfect cover drive between mid off and covers for another boundary.

17.41

Hits the good length outside the off stump. Liam Livingstone gets an outside edge to third man for a single.

17.34

FOUR! Liam Livingstone is away with a boundary. Naveen-ul-Haq looking to bowl the wide yorker but misses the length and ends up bowling a full toss. Liam Livingstone carves it over covers for a welcome boundary.

17.31nb

Hits the good length at the off stump line. Liam Livingstone walks in to cover the stumps and flicks the ball straight to mid-wicket. It's a NO BALL for overstepping by Naveen-ul-Haq. Free Hit coming up.

Liam Livingstone comes out to bat with England struggling at 91-4.

17.2W

OUT! GETS THE TIMBER! Naveen-ul-Haq has the last laugh as he has been troubling Jos Buttler from the start of his spell. Pitches it up, swinging in from over the wicket using the angle. Jos Buttler looking to pay the cover drive gets beaten between bat and pad and the ball goes on to hit the top of the off stump. Beautiful delivery to get the England skipper.

17.11

Quick bouncer at the batter. Harry Brook pulls it away with one hand on the bat to deep square leg for a single.

Runs Scored 8 Runs

Score after 17 overs : 90/3

J Buttler9 (17)

H Brook25 (25)

R Khan1-0-8-0

16.60

Tossed up at the off stump line. Jos Buttler flicks the googly with the spin but straight to mid-wicket.

16.51

Just short at the stumps. Harry Brook goes back and pushes the ball to long on for a single.

16.40

Just short googly at the off stump line. Harry Brook goes back and pushes the ball to covers.

16.32

Short and wide again outside the off stump. Harry Brook cuts the ball to the left of sweepers and picks up a couple.

16.21

Tossed up at the stumps. Jos Buttler pushes the ball to long off for a single.

16.14

FOUR! Greetings for Rashid Khan by Jos Buttler as he comes into the attack. Rashid Khan drops one short outside the off stump and Jos Buttler rocks back and cuts the ball to the right of sweepers for a handsome boundary.

Runs Scored 10 Runs

Score after 16 overs : 82/3

H Brook22 (22)

J Buttler4 (14)

Naveen3-1-15-0

15.64

FOUR! Another one and this time it is more convincing from Harry Brook. Naveen-ul-Haq pitches the ball up outside the off stump and Harry Brook walks in and plays a push straight past the bowler to pick up a boundary towards long off. What a shot.

15.54

FOUR! Lucky for England and Harry Brook. Naveen-ul-Haq pitches the ball outside the off stump on a good length and Harry Brook pushes at it getting a thick outside edge to beat the third man fielder for a boundary.

15.41

Hits the good length again outside the off stump. Jos Buttler walks down the pitch and plays the ball to the right of point to pick up a single.

15.31

Pitched up again at the off stump. Harry Brook pushes at it from the front foot and gets an outside edge to third man for a single.

15.20

Pitched up outside the off stump. Harry Brook looks to play the cover drive off the front foot but gets beaten by pace this time.

15.10

Hits the good length at the top of the off stump. Harry Brook blocks it off the front leg towards mid off.

Drinks break! Afghanistan have started brilliantly with the ball and by doing so, have England on the back foot at the moment. They cannot afford to be complacent though and must continue to look for wickets in this next passage of play. This is a far from ideal start for England in their pursuit of a challenging total. Harry Brook and Jos Buttler are amidst a rebuilding phase and this partnership will hold the key for England.

Runs Scored 3 Runs

Score after 15 overs : 72/3

J Buttler3 (13)

H Brook13 (17)

M Nabi2-0-6-1

14.60

Tossed up at the stumps. Jos Buttler takes a leg out and pushes the ball back to the bowler to end the over.

14.50

Short and wide, turning into the right hander. Jos Buttler looks to cut but gets an inside edge to short fine leg.

14.40

Just short at the stumps. Jos Buttler pushes the ball straight to mid-wicket.

14.30

On the stumps, pitched up. Jos Buttler flicks the ball straight to mid-wicket.

14.22

Just short on the stumps, Jos Buttler flicks the ball to deep mid-wicket for a couple.

14.11

Just short outside the off stump. Harry Brook pushes the ball into the sweepers gap for a single.

Runs Scored 0 Runs

Score after 14 overs : 69/3

J Buttler1 (8)

H Brook12 (16)

Naveen2-1-5-0

13.60

Pitched up on the off stump. Jos Buttler pushes the ball on the front foot straight to mid on to end a maiden over from Naveen-ul-Haq.

13.50

Hits another good length ball outside the off stump. Jos Buttler lets the ball go through.

13.40

Just short outside the off stump doing the trick as Jos Buttler gets beaten again outside the off stump.

13.30

Just short outside the off stump. Jos Buttler looks to cut the ball but misses out on the timimg on the ball. Plays it straight to covers.

13.20

Hits the good length hard on the off stump. Jos Buttler takes the front foot out and pushes the ball to mid off.

13.10

Hits the good length hard outside the off stump and Jos Buttler is beaten all ends up as he tries to defend from the crease.

Runs Scored 3 Runs

Score after 13 overs : 69/3

J Buttler1 (2)

H Brook12 (16)

M Nabi1-0-3-1

12.61

Tossed up again on the leg stump. Jos Buttler takes the front foot out and pushes the ball to long on for a single.

12.50

Tossed up at the stumps. Jos Buttler flicks it straight to square leg.

England's skipper Jos Buttler walks out to the middle.

12.4W

OUT! CAUGHT! Flighted ball from around the wicket on the off stump, dipping in before Dawid Malan who takes his leg out and pushes the ball in the air on the off side, finding Ibrahim Zadran at short extra cover who takes an easy catch to get rid of Dawid Malan. Nabi strikes in the very first over in his landmark game.

12.31

Just short at the stumps. Harry Brook goes back and flicks the ball to deep square leg for a single.

12.20

Pitches the ball up on the off stump with some turn into the right-hander. Harry Brook gets beaten and gets a hit on his pads. No run.

12.11

Just short outside the off stump. Dawid Malan pushes the ball off the backfoot towards sweepers for a single.

Mohammad Nabi comes on to bowl in his 150th ODI.

Runs Scored 9 Runs

Score after 12 overs : 66/2

D Malan31 (37)

H Brook11 (14)

Naveen1-0-5-0

11.61

Slower ball at the off stump. Dawid Malan drops it there and runs a single from covers to end the over.

11.50

Pitched up outside the off stump. Dawid Malan plays a crisp cover drive but finds it straight to the man at covers. No run.

11.40

Hits the good length on the off stump. Dawid Malan takes the front leg out and offers a front foot defence back to the bowler.

11.30

Just short outside the off stump. Dawid Malan blocks it off from the crease towards point.

11.24lb

On the pads this time from short of length. Dawid Malan looking to flick the ball, misses the contact with the bat and gets his thigh pads on the way to take the ball to the fine leg boundary for 4 leg byes.

11.14

FOUR! Just short outside the off stump and Dawid Malan plays it late to get a thick outside edge for a boundary towards third man.

Runs Scored 5 Runs

Score after 11 overs : 57/2

D Malan26 (31)

H Brook11 (14)

Ur Rahman6-0-27-1

10.61

Fullish in length, on middle, driven down to long on for one by Dawid Malan.

10.51

Slows it up and bowls it short, wide outside off, Harry Brook slaps it through covers for a single.

10.41

Short again, at the stumps, Dawid Malan bunts it to the left of the bowler for a single.

10.30

Quicker through the air and straighter, on middle, Dawid Malan gets behind the line and dead bats it down the wicket.

10.21

A half-tracker, on the pads, the ball keeps low but Harry Brook adjusts well and knocks it down to long on for a single.

10.11

Drops it short, on off, Dawid Malan punches it in front of square and turns the strike over.

Powerplay 2! 4 fielders are now allowed outside the 30-yard circle until the 40th over.

Runs Scored 6 Runs

Score after 10 overs : 52/2

H Brook9 (12)

D Malan23 (27)

F Farooqi5-0-30-1

9.62

Gets this one to angle away, full and outside off, Harry Brook extends his arms and drills it towards extra cover. A diving half-stop by the fielder to his right allows the batters to run a couple of runs.

9.50

Angling away, outside off, on a back of a length, Harry Brook punches neatly but straight to extra cover.

9.40

Switches to over the wicket and goes on a length, on off and middle, Harry Brook looks to drive down the ground but mistimes it back to the bowler.

9.34

FOUR! Lovely shot! Fazalhaq Farooqi bowls it on a hard length, at the hips, Harry Brook stands tall and whips it wide of deep backward square leg for his first boundary.

9.20

Pulls the length back and hurls it on off, Harry Brook hangs on the back foot and stabs it on the off side.

9.10

Pitches it up, angling in, on off, Harry Brook drives crisply with a straight bat to mid off.

Runs Scored 10 Runs

Score after 9 overs : 46/2

D Malan23 (27)

H Brook3 (6)

Ur Rahman5-0-22-1

8.62

Short again, around off, Dawid Malan does not move his feet much but punches through the line. Hits it wide of extra cover for two runs more.

8.50

Short and wide outside off, Dawid Malan cuts it late but straight to backward point.

8.41

Floated up, on off, driven down to long on for a single.

8.30

Oh, that kept low! Bowls it from the back of the hand, short and on off, Harry Brook gets deep in his crease to access the off side but the ball scoots and he somehow manages to get his bat down in time. Keeps it out on the off side.

8.21

Coming in with the arm, short and on off, dabbed in front of cover-point and a fumble allows an easy single.

8.25wd

FIVE WIDES! That should help England release the pressure! Starts a bit too straight and the angle takes it down leg, left alone by Dawid Malan and Ikram Alikhil fails to tidy it up to his right. The ball races away to the fence for a boundary.

8.11

Angling into the batter, Harry Brook goes back and punches this short delivery to long on for a single.

Runs Scored 3 Runs

Score after 8 overs : 36/2

D Malan20 (24)

H Brook1 (3)

F Farooqi4-0-24-1

7.60

Another delivery on a back of a length, closer to off, Dawid Malan punches it on the up but without much timing to mid off.

7.50

Targets the stumps, on a back of a length, Dawid Malan hops and pats it with a straight bat to silly mid off.

7.51wd

WIDE! Errs in line does Fazalhaq Farooqi as he slips it down leg, left alone by Dawid Malan for a wide.

7.40

Around off, on a good length again, Dawid Malan gets behind the line and defends it on the off side.

7.31

Tailling in sharply, on a good length, on middle, Harry Brook gets surprised by the sharp movement and fends it in front of mid-wicket. Calls Dawid Malan for a quick single and stretches forward at the non-striker's end to complete the run. A wayward throw makes it a little bit easy for Brook.

7.20

Comes from 'round the wicket and bowls it in the channel, on a good length, Harry Brook camps back and dabs it towards backward point.

7.11

Serves it wide outside off, on a length, Dawid Malan flays at the delivery and gets it to third man for a single.

Runs Scored 4 Runs

Score after 7 overs : 33/2

H Brook0 (1)

D Malan19 (20)

Ur Rahman4-0-12-1

6.60

Keeps it short, at the stumps, Harry Brook goes back in his crease and nudges it to mid-wicket.

Harry Brook is the new batter for England.

6.5W

OUT! TIMBER!. Mujeeb Ur Rahman gets the big fish! England in a spot of bother as they lose Joe Root now. Offers flight and bowls it slightly fuller, angling in, on off and middle, Joe Root misjudged the length and goes back on the back foot to a full delivery. He pays the price as the ball skids on off the deck and sneaks under the bat before crashing into the stumps. Joe Root indicates that the ball kept low before he starts to make the long walk back. Afghanistan are delighted and so they should be.

6.44

FOUR! Easy pickings! A rank hop and down leg by Mujeeb, Joe Root rocks on the back foot and pulls it wide of short fine leg for a boundary.

6.30

A drag down, around leg, Joe Root gets inside the line but gets hurried and pulls without much timing to short fine leg.

6.20

Drags the length back and bowls it on off, Joe Root dabs it off the back foot to point..

6.10

Tosses it up, flatter and outside off, Joe Root steps out and checks his shot to mid-wicket.

Runs Scored 7 Runs

Score after 6 overs : 29/1

D Malan19 (20)

J Root7 (12)

F Farooqi3-0-21-1

5.62

Slants this one on a length, on the pads, Dawid Malan flicks it off his pads and gets it through square leg for a couple of runs.

5.50

Much straighter and fuller, on the off-stump line, Dawid Malan drives it firmly down the wicket but Fazalhaq Farooqi gets low in his follow through and stops it.

5.40

In the channel on off, on a good length, Dawid Malan hangs back and pokes at the delivery. Luckily for him, he does nick it behind.

5.30

Piitches it up and gets the ball to swing away from the left-hander. Left alone again by Malan.

5.31wd

WIDE! Loses his radar and bowls it beyond the tramline on off, Dawid Malan lets it go for a wide.

5.24

FOUR! Classy shot! Fazalhaq Farooqi errs in length and serves a bit too full, Dawid Malan allows the ball to swing away and creams the drive through extra cover for a boundary.

5.10

Beauty! Goes full searching for swing, outside off, Dawid Malan gets drawn forward in defence. The ball shapes away and beats Malan on the outside edge.

Runs Scored 3 Runs

Score after 5 overs : 22/1

J Root7 (12)

D Malan13 (14)

Ur Rahman3-0-8-0

4.60

Gives the ball air and bowls it short, on off, Joe Root bunts it back to the bowler.

4.51

Almost chopped it on! Short and just outside off, the ball is too close to cut but Dawid Malan still goes for it. Gets an outside edge that sneaks past the stumps to short fine leg for a single.

4.41

Tossed up, around off, Joe Root lunges forward and drives it to the right of the bowler for a single.

4.30

Drifting in, short and on middle, Joe Root goes on the back foot and pushes it back to the bowler.

4.21

Full and sliding on the pads, Dawid Malan works it in front of square on the leg side for a single.

4.10

Sliding in, on middle, Dawid Malan is half-forward and blocks it out on the deck.

Runs Scored 10 Runs

Score after 4 overs : 19/1

D Malan11 (11)

J Root6 (9)

F Farooqi2-0-14-1

3.61

A bit wide outside off, on a length, Dawid Malan extends his arms and steers it wide of backward point Azmatullah Omarzai at third man slides to his left and keeps it to a single.

3.50

Beaten now! Bowls it on back of a length, in the channel, Dawid Malan looks to punch it through the line but the ball moves in a bit and sneaks past the inside edge. Fazalhaq Farooqi is bowling with good rhythm here.

3.40

A loud shout for LBW but the umpire turns it down. It did not look like a bad shout in real-time and Hashmatullah Shahidi takes the review. Gets this one angle in, at the batter, on a good length, Dawid Malan hangs on the back foot and tries to turn it away. He does not move his feet and the ball straightens enough to catch him high on the back leg. The UltraEdge shows a clear gap between bat and ball but the Ball Tracking shows the ball to be going over the stumps. Afghanistan lose their review.

3.34

FOUR! Width offered and Dawid Malan cashes in! Offers width outside off, on a length, Dawid Malan frees his arms and flays it over point for four more runs.

3.24

EDGED AND FOUR! Fazalhaq Farooqi cleverly slips in the in-dipper, on a good length, on middle, Dawid Malan tries to clip it away but closes the bat face early. Gets an outside edge that goes to the left of second slip for a boundary.

3.11

Shortish delivery, at the hips, Joe Root tucks it off the back foot to fine leg for a single.

Runs Scored 2 Runs

Score after 3 overs : 9/1

D Malan2 (6)

J Root5 (8)

Ur Rahman2-0-5-0

2.60

Serves it on off, Dawid Malan tries to defend but it gets it off the outer half of the bat to short third man.

2.50

Bowls it from the back of the hand, short and on middle, pushed back to the bowler.

2.41

Tossed up, on off, Joe Root gets to the pitch of the ball and drives it along the ground to mid off where the fielder makes a half-stop but the batters complete the run with ease.

2.30

Looped up, outside off, Joe Root drives crisply but straight to extra cover.

2.20

Fullish delivery, drifting in, on middle, nudged off the toe-end to mid-wicket.

2.11

Risky single! Angles it in, short and on middle, Dawid Malan stays beside the ball and punches it to the right of mid off and sets off for a single. Rashid Khan gets to the ball quickly but misses the shy at the non-striker's end. Malan had just about made in as the throw came in towards the stumps.

Runs Scored 4 Runs

Score after 2 overs : 7/1

J Root4 (5)

D Malan1 (3)

F Farooqi1-0-4-1

1.60

Hurls it on a back of a length again, on middle, Joe Root tries to get behind the line of the delivery but the ball rises and he gets hit high on the thigh pad.

1.50

In the channel on off, on a length, a hint of inward movement, Joe Root gets a good stride in and blocks it out towards cover.

1.40

Pitches it up now, outside off, Joe Root drives it firmly off the middle part of the bat to mid off.

1.30

Serves it on a hard length, on middle, Joe Root hangs on the back foot to defend. The ball jags back in and catches him on the thigh pad.

1.24

FOUR! A gift for Joe Root to get off the mark! Fazalhaq Farooqi goes searching for the magical delivery but delivers it a bit too straight, on the pads, on a length, Joe Root plays it late and tickles it fine to the fine leg fence for his first boundary.

Joe Root is the batter in at number 3.

1.1W

OUT! LBW! What a start for Afghanistan as Fazalhaq Farooqi strikes with his first delivery! An early blow for England in the run chase. Fazalhaq Farooqi begins from over the wicket and gets the ball to shape into the right-hander, on the leg-stump line. Jonny Bairstow gets on the front foot but does not account for the inward movement and misses the clip. Gets pinged low on the front pad and up goes the finger! Jonny Bairstow goes for the review almost immediately. The UltraEdge shows no bat and on Ball Tracking the impact is umpire's call as is wickets. The on-field decision will stand and Jonny Bairstow will have to walk back.

Fazalhaq Farooqi to bowl the second over for Afghanistan.

Runs Scored 3 Runs

Score after 1 overs : 3/0

D Malan1 (3)

J Bairstow2 (3)

Ur Rahman1-0-3-0

0.60

Going away from the left-hander, on off, Dawid Malan opens the bat face and guides it to short third man.

0.50

On the off-stump line, fractionally short, Dawid Malan punches it sweetly but straight to cover-point.

0.41

Quicker and shorter, on middle and leg, Jonny Bairstow hits it with a straight bat to long on and turns the strike over.

0.31

Switches to 'round the wicket for the left-hander and slants it on the pads, Dawid Malan drops it in front of square leg and calls his partner through for a quick single.

0.21

England and Jonny Bairstow are underway! Drifting in a bit, full and on middle, Jonny Bairstow pushes it to the left of mid-wicket for a single.

0.10

Starts from over the wicket and serves it short, at the stumps, Jonny Bairstow makes room and punches it down to mid off.

Commentary

Welcome back for England's reply. The Afghanistan players are in a huddle near the ropes before they disperse. Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan are the opening batters for England. Mujeeb Ur Rahman is going to start the attack for Afghanistan. Lets Play!

... THE RUN CHASE ...

England has not been at their best in this World Cup, and today, they made several mistakes and fumbles that they would want to avoid. The new ball bowlers struggled to find their rhythm, putting England on the back foot in the initial stages of the game. Adil Rashid came in and took two crucial wickets, putting pressure on the Afghan batters. Reece Topley also performed well with the new ball and in the death overs. Mark Wood's extra pace proved too much for the Afghan batsmen as he also claimed a couple of crucial wickets. The task now lies in England's hands as they chase 285 runs in 50 overs on a good batting wicket. Afghanistan seems to be around 30 runs short of a par score, and they will hope that their bowlers have some tricks up their sleeves to challenge a strong batting lineup like England's. What will happen in the second innings? Let's find out in the upcoming session.

Liam Livingstone is in for a chat. He says that the ball held up a bit for spinners and adds that it is a small ground. Mentions that it looks a good pitch and hopes that dew comes in. Shares that he tried to keep it at the stumps and vary the pace. Further adds that he was working on his bowling and prides himself to have an impact on the game.

Afghanistan got off to an excellent start, with their opening batsmen amassing 114 runs for the first wicket in just 15 overs. This is the first time in World cups that Afghanistan's openers have crossed the 100 run partnership mark. Rahmanullah Gurbaz was outstanding, taking on the English bowlers from the very beginning and went on to score 80 of just 56 balls. He and Ibrahim Zadran provided Afghanistan with a strong platform to build on, and at one point, it seemed they might reach the 350-run mark. However, Afghanistan soon found themselves at 122-3, with both openers and Rahmat Shah back in the pavilion. The Afghan middle order struggled to score runs during the middle overs, and wickets fell at regular intervals. Ikram Alikhil stepped up and played a courageous half-century to guide Afghanistan to a respectable total in the first innings.

That brings us to the end of the first innings of the match between England and Afghanistan, with Afghanistan posting a total of 284 runs after being put into bat losing all their wickets in 49.5 overs on a wicket that looks really good for batting. This has been Afghanistan's second-highest total in the history of ODI World Cups.

49.5W

OUT! RUN OUT! Afghanistan have been bowled out for 284! Reece Topley rolls his fingers over the ball and goes into the wicket, on off, Fazalhaq Farooqi goes for a swing across the line but swings too early and misses. The batters think of sneaking a bye as the ball rolls behind the wicket. Jos Buttler is alert as he hits the stumps at the batting end with an underarm throw and catches Naveen-ul-Haq yards out of his crease.

49.41

Nails the yorker, on the toes, Naveen-ul-Haq jams it out in front of square on the leg side for a single.

49.30

Fullish length, outside off, Naveen-ul-Haq walks across to scoop it behind the wicket but misses out on the connection.

49.21

Back of a length, on middle, Fazalhaq Farooqi tries to punch it away but mistimes it to mid on for a single.

49.10

Full and slanting in, on off and middle, Fazalhaq Farooqi blocks it out onto the deck.

Runs Scored 5 Runs

Score after 49 overs : 282/9

Naveen4 (4)

F Farooqi1 (1)

M Wood9-0-50-2

48.64

EDGED AND FOUR! Back of a length, outside off, Naveen-ul-Haq slashes hard at the delivery but gets an outside edge that flies wide of backward point for a boundary.

48.50

On a good length, skidding on, outside off, Naveen-ul-Haq throws his hands at the delivery but gets beaten for pace.

48.40

On a length again, on off, Naveen-ul-Haq keeps it out on the off side.

48.30

Targets the pads, on a good length, Naveen-ul-Haq misses the clip and gets rapped on the thigh pad. The ball rolls to backward point but the batters decide not to run a single.

Fazalhaq Farooqi is the last batter in for Afghanistan.

48.21

Honing in at the stumps, on a full length, Naveen-ul-Haq drops it on the off side from the crease and crosses over for a quick single.

48.1W

OUT! IN THE AIR AND GONE! Mark Wood strikes now! Pace on this time by Mark Wood on a back of a length, on middle, Mujeeb Ur Rahman clears his front leg and swings across the line. The ball skids on and he ends up getting a top edge that goes high in the air but as far as point. Joe Root settles under the skier and gobbles it with both hands. That makes it four catches for Root in this game so far.

Naveen-ul-Haq is the new batter in.

Runs Scored 14 Runs

Score after 48 overs : 277/8

I Alikhil58 (66)

Ur Rahman28 (15)

R Topley8-1-50-1

47.6W

OUT! CAUGHT! The change of pace does the trick for Reece Topley! Bowls it from the back of the hand and goes into the wicket, slower as well, on off, Ikram Alikhil waits for the ball to arrive and slaps it down the ground. Does not manage to get enough bat to clear long and hits it straight down the throat of Sam Curran who does the rest. End of a fine knock by the young Afghan batter.

47.53

Dishes out in the blackhole, on middle and leg, Mujeeb Ur Rahman clears his front leg and swats it through mid-wicket. Chris Woakes at long on, sprints and makes a tumbling stop to his right. He manages to hold onto the ball as he tumbles and keeps the ball in play. Three runs taken.

47.52nb

NO BALL! It's all going Afghanistan's way here! Reece Topley tries to go full but loses his grip and ends up bowling a beamer, on off and middle, Ikram Alikhil pulls it off the front foot to deep mid-wicket for a single.

47.41

Follows the batter with a full delivery, Mujeeb Ur Rahman helps it off his pads to fine leg and turns the strike.

47.31

Goes fullish and outside off, Ikram Alikhil drills it hard through covers for a single.

47.26

SIX! Heaved away! Reece Topley bowls the back-of-the-hand slower delivery, on a length, on middle, Ikram Alikhil reads the change of pace well and gets down to slog. Does not get it from the middle of the bat but gets enough bat to clear the deep mid-wicket fence for a maximum.

47.11

Bowls it on a yorker length, around leg, Mujeeb Ur Rahman makes room and jams it out in front of square on the leg side for a single.

Runs Scored 8 Runs

Score after 47 overs : 263/7

I Alikhil50 (62)

Ur Rahman23 (12)

M Wood8-0-45-1

46.60

This is bowled on a good length, on middle, Ikram Alikhil gets behind the line and pats it back to the bowler.

46.52

FIFTY for Ikram Alikhil! Third ODI fifty for the young southpaw. Mark Wood bangs it in short, at the batter, Ikram Alikhil gets hurried into the shot and fends it awkwardly as the ball lobs over the keeper. Reece Topley sprints to his right and puts in a dive to save a couple of runs for his side.

46.41

Dishes out a searing yorker, on leg, Mujeeb Ur Rahman moves leg side but gets surprised by the length. Gets his bat down in time and squeezes out an inside edge to fine leg where Reece Topley makes good ground to his right and keeps it ot a single.

46.34

FOUR! Streaky but they all count! On the off stump line, on a hard length, Mujeeb Ur Rahman clears his front leg and swings hard and across the line. Gets an outside edge that flies over the keeper and wide of third man for a boundary.

46.20

Swing and a miss! Delivers it short in length, over middle, Mujeeb Ur Rahman backs away and goes for a mighty heave across the line but connects with thin air.

46.11

Hurls it full and into the pads from 'round the wicket, Ikram Alikhil knocks it to the left of mid on and turns the strike over.

Runs Scored 18 Runs

Score after 46 overs : 255/7

Ur Rahman18 (9)

I Alikhil47 (59)

S Curran4-0-46-0

45.60

Goes wide of the crease and serves a slower delivery, angling in, on a length, on middle, Mujeeb Ur Rahman gives himself room and pushes it without much timing towards cover-point. A good over for Afghanistan, 18 runs came off it.

45.52

Good running! Takes pace off again and bowls it short of a length, around off, Mujeeb Ur Rahman waits on the back foot and nudges it in the vacant mid-wicket region for a couple of runs.

45.46

SIX! It is going from bad to worse for Sam Curran! This is bowled into the wicket, over middle, Mujeeb Ur Rahman gets it right in his slot and nails the pull over deep mid-wicket for a biggie. Crucial runs these for Afghanistan.

45.45nb

NO BALL AND FOUR! Curran loses his radar and bowls a beamer, outside off, Mujeeb Ur Rahman throws his hands at the ball and it flies away over backward point for a boundary. Free Hit coming up.

45.34

FOUR! Hammered away! Sam Curran rolls his fingers over the ball and bangs it in short, Mujeeb Ur Rahman fetches it from outside off and hammers it wide of deep mid-wicket for a boundary.

45.20

Comes from 'round the wicket for the right-hander and goes full, around off, Mujeeb Ur Rahman pushes without much foot movement to extra cover.

45.11

Fullish delivery, angling in, on middle and leg, Ikram Alikhil jams it out off his toes to long on for a single.

Runs Scored 4 Runs

Score after 45 overs : 237/7

I Alikhil46 (58)

Ur Rahman2 (3)

A Rashid10-1-42-3

44.61

Just short and slow on the stumps. Ikram Alikhil goes back and flicks the ball to deep square leg for a single.

44.51

Short ball at the batter. Mujeeb Ur Rahman pulls the ball straight to deep mid-wicket for a run.

44.41

Just short at the stumps, flicked away to deep mid-wicket for a single.

44.31

Just short at the stumps. Mujeeb Ur Rahman flicks the ball to deep mid-wicket for a single.

44.20

Tossed up outside the leg stump. Mujeeb Ur Rahman looks to play the reverse sweep but mistimes the ball straight to covers.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman is the new man in.

44.1W

OUT! CAUGHT! A stunning grab by Joe Root and Adil Rashid has his third wicket! Tossed up ball at the stumps. Rashid Khan steps down the track and lofts the ball flat to the right of the long on fielder. Joe Root standing there, runs to his right and completes a full-length diving catch to get rid of the dangerous Rashid Khan. Afghanistan lose their seventh wicket.

Runs Scored 2 Runs

Score after 44 overs : 233/6

I Alikhil44 (56)

R Khan23 (21)

S Curran3-0-28-0

43.60

Pitched up at the off stump. Ikram Alikhil makes room but cuts it straight to the fielder at point.

43.50

Yorker at the off stump and Ikram Alikhil blocks it off the front foot back to the bowler.

43.41

Short ball outside the off stump and Rashid Khan slaps it over the in-field towards sweepers for a single.

43.30

Slower ball at the batter from back of a length. Rashid Khan looking to pull the ball gets beaten and gets a hit on the thigh pads for no run.

43.21

Pitched up on the stumps. Ikram Alikhil makes room and heaves the ball towards deep mid-wicket for a single.

43.10

Slower ball from the good length at the stumps. Ikram Alikhil goes back and pushes the ball straight to point.

Ikram Alikhil is closing in on what would be his third ODI fifty.

Runs Scored 4 Runs

Score after 43 overs : 231/6

I Alikhil43 (52)

R Khan22 (19)

A Rashid9-1-38-2

42.61

Tossed up on the pads, flicked away to deep mid-wicket for a single.

42.50

Tossed up outside the off stump. Ikram Alikhil offers a front foot defence straight to point.

42.40

Googly from outside the leg stump. Ikram Alikhil sweeps the ball straight to short fine leg. No run. Ikram gets a warning from the umpire for running straight down the wicket

42.31

Tossed up outside the off stump. Rashid Khan pushes the ball to long off for a single.

42.20

Googly from outside the off stump and Rashid Khan blocks if off just in time from the crease.

42.12

Just short outside the leg stump. Rashid Khan goes back and flicks the ball to the right of deep square leg and picks up 2 runs for his team.

Runs Scored 6 Runs

Score after 42 overs : 227/6

I Alikhil42 (49)

R Khan19 (16)

R Topley7-1-36-0

41.62

Just short at the batter and Ikram Alikhil tucks the ball with soft hands in front of deep mid-wicket and takes a couple of runs.

41.50

Slower ball pitched up at the off stump. Ikram Alikhil pushes the ball off the front foot straight to covers.

41.40

Short again outside the off stump and Ikram Alikhil pushes the ball straight to the hands of point.

41.30

Short ball at the body of the batter. Ikram Alikhil gets a hit on the thigh pad and the ball rolls towards point. No run taken.

41.20

Hits the good length on the stumps. Ikram Alikhil takes a leg out and plays the front foot defence.

41.14

FOUR! Short and wide this time, Ikram Alikhil goes back and plays it late towards the left of third man to pick up a welcome boundary for Afghanistan. Good start to the over.

Runs Scored 5 Runs

Score after 41 overs : 221/6

I Alikhil36 (43)

R Khan19 (16)

A Rashid8-1-34-2

40.61

Googly short and outside the off stump. Ikram Alikhil goes back and cuts the ball towards sweepers for another single to end the over.

40.50

Tossed up slow at the stumps. Ikram Alikhil blocks it off the front foot.

40.41

Tossed up ball at the stumps. Rashid Khan comes out and drives the ball to sweepers for a single.

40.31

Bowled up again at the middle stump. Ikram Alikhil pushes the ball towards deep mid-wicket for a single.

40.21

Tossed up again at the stumps. Rashid Khan pushes the ball off the front foot to long off for a run.

40.11

Pitched up on the off stump. Ikram Alikhil flicks the ball towards deep mid-wicket for a single.

Powerplay 3! England are now allowed 5 fielders outside the 30-yard circle for the final 10 overs of the innings. With the extra fielder being allowed outside the 30-yard circle, Adil Rashid (7-1-29-2) is brought back into the attack.

Runs Scored 9 Runs

Score after 40 overs : 216/6

R Khan17 (14)

I Alikhil33 (39)

R Topley6-1-30-0

39.60

Shortish delivery, just outside off, Rashid Khan stays back and guides it from the crease to backward point.

39.51

Short of a length, around off, Ikram Alikhil hangs back and steers it to the right of backward point for a run.

39.51wd

WIDE! Loses his radar and spills it down leg. Ikram Alikhil gets inside the line and leaves the ball alone for a wide.

39.44

FOUR! Edgy but Afghanistan will take it! Angling in, on the fifth stump line, on a hard length, Ikram Alikhil shapes to play it fine on the off side. Gets it off the toe-end of the bat and fine of third man for a boundary.

39.31

Takes pace off this time and bowls it back of a length, outside off, Rashid Khan drills it hard to deep point for another single.

39.21

Goes into the wicket from over the wicket, on middle, Ikram Alikhil drags the pull off the front foot to deep square leg and turns the strike over.

39.11

Starts from 'round the wicket and bowls it on a short of a length, over off, Rashid Khan bends his back and cuts it wide of point for a single.

Runs Scored 3 Runs

Score after 39 overs : 207/6

I Alikhil27 (36)

R Khan15 (11)

M Wood7-0-37-1

38.60

Goes wide of the crease and targets the stumps, on a good length, Ikram Alikhil is half-forward and dead bats the ball with a straight bat. Another tidy over from Mark Wood.

38.51

Closer to the off stump, on a good length, Rashid Khan hangs on the back foot and punches it square to deep point for a single.

38.41

Angling in, on middle and leg, on a short of a length, Ikram Alikhil gets cramped for room but still manages to nudge it behind square on the leg side for a single.

Halt - Ikram Alikhil gets a hit on the right shoulder and has asked for medical help to come out. Looks fine and will be ready to continue soon.

38.30

Ouch, that must have hurt! Switches to 'round the wicket and serves a quicker bumper, right at the right shoulder, Ikram Alikhil takes his eyes off the ball and ducks underneath. The ball does not rise as he would have intended and hits him flush on the right shoulder, before lobbing behind the wicket to Jos Buttler.

38.21

Pacy delivery but a bit too straight, on a length, Rashid Khan helps it off his pads to fine leg for a single.

38.10

Short of a length, on middle, Rashid Khan gets behind the line and blocks it out without much fuss.

Runs Scored 6 Runs

Score after 38 overs : 204/6

I Alikhil26 (33)

R Khan13 (8)

L Livingstone10-0-33-1

37.60

Floated up, on middle, Ikram Alikhil drives it back to Liam Livingstone.

37.51

Short and turning away, outside off, Rashid Khan shapes to cut but toe-ends it towards point for a single.

37.44

FOUR! Streaky! Short and wide outside off, Rashid Khan goes after the width as he slashes hard at the delivery. Gets an outside edge that flies past Mark Wood at short third man for a boundary.

37.30

Turning in, short and on off, dabbed off the back foot to point.

37.21

Full and around off, Ikram Alikhil knocks it down to long off and turns the strike over.

37.10

Tossed up, on middle and leg, clipped to mid-wicket.

Runs Scored 8 Runs

Score after 37 overs : 198/6

R Khan8 (5)

I Alikhil25 (30)

M Wood6-0-34-1

36.60

Honing in at pace, on a hard length, on middle, Rashid Khan gets behind the line and pushes it on the up towards extra cover.

36.54

FOUR! Not in control but in the gap! Delivers it on a hard length, outside off, Rashid Khan pushes away from the body and gets an outside edge that flies right between cover-point and backward point for a boundary.

36.40

Beaten! Hurls it on a short of a good length, outside off, at pace as well, Rashid Khan has a waft away from the body and gets beaten on the outside edge.

36.30

Angling in, on a length, at the stumps, Rashid Khan stays back and keeps it out on the leg side.

36.24

FOUR! Rashid Khan is up and running! Pitched up Wood, outside off, Rashid Khan leans and creams the drive through extra cover for a boundary. The Afghan supporters have found their voices with this boundary off the first ball by Rashid.

Rashid Khan is the next batter in for Afghanistan.

36.1W

OUT! TAKEN! Mark Wood gets his reward for bowling with pace and accuracy! Continues from over the wicket and bangs it in short and directs it at the right shoulder. Mohammad Nabi waits on the back foot and goes for the pull. Gets into two minds as he gets hurried into his shot and gets it off the splice of the bat. The ball lobs tamely near the gully region where Joe Root takes a few steps forward and takes the simplest of catches. Mohammad Nabi departs now as Afghanistan lose their sixth wicket.

Runs Scored 4 Runs

Score after 36 overs : 190/5

M Nabi9 (14)

I Alikhil25 (30)

L Livingstone9-0-27-1

35.61

Fuller now, on off, Mohammad Nabi drives it through covers for a single.

35.51

Short and wide outside off, Ikram Alikhil cuts it hard but along the ground to deep point for one more.

35.41

Shorter and at the stumps, Mohammad Nabi punches it down to long on and turns the strike over.

35.31

Short and outside off, chopped off the back foot to deep point for a single.

35.20

A stumping chance goes down! Tossed up, full and around off, Ikram Alikhil gets lured into the drive but the ball spins away and beats him on the outside edge. Jos Buttler fails to his gloves in the correct position and catches him on the thigh pad. This allows Ikram Alikhil to get back in and although Buttler removes the bails on the second attempt, Ikram is safely in by then.

35.10

Angling in, on the off stump line, Ikram Alikhil goes on the back foot and dabs it to point.

Runs Scored 3 Runs

Score after 35 overs : 186/5

I Alikhil23 (26)

M Nabi7 (12)

M Wood5-0-26-0

34.61

Short of a good length, outside off, at 145.2 clicks, Ikram Alikhil stands tall and steers it with an open bat face. Retains the strike with a single to third man.

34.51

In the channel on off, on a length, Mohammad Nabi plays it late and runs it down to third man for a single.

34.40

Delivers it on a hard length, on off, Mohammad Nabi hangs on the back foot and blocks it out on the off side.

34.30

Back of a length, outside off, the ball rises on its way to the batter. Mohammad Nabi tries to latch onto the width but gets beaten by the extra bounce.

34.20

Beaten! Pitched up by Wood, outside off, Mohammad Nabi goes chasing at the delivery, away from the body. The ball nips away a touch and goes past the outside edge.

34.11

Charges in from wide of the crease and angles it in, on a length, on middle, Ikram Alikhil pushes with hard hands and gets a soft leading edge to mid off for a run.

Runs Scored 5 Runs

Score after 34 overs : 183/5

I Alikhil21 (24)

M Nabi6 (8)

L Livingstone8-0-23-1

33.61

Lands it full now, on off, Ikram Alikhil works it along the ground to long off for a run.

33.51

On the pads, short in length, Mohammad Nabi tucks it in front of square on the leg side for a run.

33.41

A bit too full, on off, Ikram Alikhil drives with a straight bat to long off and turns the strike over.

33.31

Bowls the leg break, short and wide outside off, Mohammad Nabi hangs back and cuts it to deep point for a single.

33.20

Turning away, short and outside off, Mohammad Nabi plays with the turn to backward point.

33.11

Serves it full, on off and middle, Ikram Alikhil knocks it down to long off for a single.

Runs Scored 4 Runs

Score after 33 overs : 178/5

M Nabi4 (5)

I Alikhil18 (21)

J Root4-0-19-1

32.64

FOUR! Top shot by Mohammad Nabi to open his account! Floated up, full now, Mohammad Nabi gets down and fetches it from outside off. Sweeps it to the deep backward square leg fence for a boundary.

32.50

Drops it short and slower, on middle, Mohammad Nabi stays back and punches it straight to mid-wicket.

32.40

Turning into the batter, full and on the pads, Mohammad Nabi nudges it in front of mid-wicket.

32.30

Tossed up, on middle, clipped straight to mid-wicket.

32.20

Fullish delivery from 'round the wicket, outside off, Mohammad Nabi drives it off the toe end to cover.

DRINKS - England has managed to get back into the game by picking up 5 wickets including Hashmatullah Shahidi the skipper to be dismissed last. Can Afghanistan get to a respectable score? Let's find out in the live-action coming up. Mohammad Nabi is the new batter in for Afghanistan.

32.1W

OUT! BOWLED'EM! Joe Root gets into the act now and he gets rid of the Afghan skipper! A massive blow for Afghanistan as they slip further. Bowls it from wide of the crease and with a round arm as well, short and on the off stump line, Hashmatullah Shahidi stays beside the ball and tries to access the off side. The ball comes in with the angle and beats Shahidi on the outside edge, before pegging back the off stump. Afghanistan have now lost half their side.

Runs Scored 4 Runs

Score after 32 overs : 174/4

I Alikhil18 (21)

H Shahidi14 (35)

L Livingstone7-0-18-1

31.62

Full but down leg, Ikram Alikhil gets down and sweeps it fine. Hits it to the left of fine leg fielder for a couple of runs.

31.50

This is bowled slower and short, on middle, Ikram Alikhil pushes it back to Liam Livingstone.

31.41

Drifts on the pads, full as well, Hashmatullah Shahidi sweeps it through backward square leg for a single.

31.30

Flatter and shorter, on off, Hashmatullah Shahidi chops it to backward point.

31.21

Gives the ball air and bowls it on off, Ikram Alikhil goes for the slog sweep but drags the shot to mid on and takes a quick single.

31.10

Short and just wide outside off, Ikram Alikhil cuts but hard but Adil Rashid at backward point dives to his left and makes a good stop.

Runs Scored 3 Runs

Score after 31 overs : 170/4

I Alikhil15 (17)

H Shahidi13 (33)

J Root3-0-15-0

30.61

Darts it in again, around off, Ikram Alikhil gets a good stride in and works it to deep point for a run.

30.51

Slanting in, full and on off, driven through covers for a single.

30.40

Width outside off, floated up as well, Hashmatullah Shahidi drives it hard but straight to extra cover.

30.30

Sees the batter advance and bowls it short, turning away, on off, Hashmatullah Shahidi has to check his shot and gets an outside edge to short third man.

30.21

A bit of flight, full and on middle, Ikram Alikhil steps out and drills it down to long on for a single.

30.10

Bowls it round arm and from wide of the crease, angling in, on middle, Ikram Alikhil lunges forward and keeps it out down the wicket.

Runs Scored 1 Runs

Score after 30 overs : 167/4

H Shahidi12 (30)

I Alikhil13 (14)

L Livingstone6-0-14-1

29.60

Bolwed up at the stumps. Hashmatullah Shahidi blocks it off straight back to the bowler.

29.51

Just short on the off stump. Ikram Alikhil opens the face of the bat and plays it between covers and point for a single.

29.40

Bowled up on the leg stump. Ikram Alikhil flicks it straight to mid-wicket.

29.30

Tossed up again on the off stump. Ikram Alikhil pushes it back to the bowler.

29.20

Pitched up at the stumps, turning away from the left hander. Ikram Alikhil gets beaten with the spin.

29.10

Pitched up on the stumps. Ikram Alikhil takes a leg out and plays it straight back to the bowler.

Runs Scored 7 Runs

Score after 29 overs : 166/4

H Shahidi12 (29)

I Alikhil12 (9)

J Root2-0-12-0

28.60

Pitched up at the stumps. Hashmatullah Shahidi blocks it off to end the over.

28.51

On the pads and flicked to deep square leg for a single.

28.40

Pitched up again at the stumps. Ikram Alikhil flicks it straight to mid-wicket.

28.36

SIX! Short and punished. Joe Root drops one short at the stumps and Ikram Alikhil rocks back in his crease and launches it over mid-wicket for a massive six.

28.20

Pitched up again at the off stump. Ikram Alikhil blocks it off the front foot to covers.

28.10

Tossed up at the stumps. Ikram Alikhil blocks it off the front foot.

Runs Scored 2 Runs

Score after 28 overs : 159/4

H Shahidi12 (28)

I Alikhil5 (4)

L Livingstone5-0-13-1

27.60

A bit slower and fuller, on middle, Hashmatullah Shahidi steps out and drives it to the left of the bowler. Liam Livingstone makes a tumbling stop and prevents the single.

27.50

Angled in, quicker, on middle, Hashmatullah Shahidi pats it from the crease to short mid-wicket.

27.40

Pitches up at the stumps. Hashmatullah Shahidi plays it straight back to the bowler.

27.31

Just short at the stumps, the batter flicks the ball to deep square leg for a single.

27.21

Pitched up on the off stump. Hashmatullah Shahidi pushes the ball to long off for a single.

27.10

Just short and wide. Hashmatullah Shahidi plays it straight to point.

Runs Scored 5 Runs

Score after 27 overs : 157/4

I Alikhil4 (3)

H Shahidi11 (23)

J Root1-0-5-0

26.64

FOUR! Short and wide by Joe Root and Ikram Alikhil stands back, waits for the ball and cuts it to the left of point for a welcome boundary to end the over.

26.50

Tossed up outside the off stump. Ikram Alikhil offers a front foot defence.

26.40

Tossed up outside the off stump. Ikram Alikhil looks to cut it but gets an inside edge on the bounce to the wicket keeper.

26.31

Just short at the stumps and Hashmatullah Shahidi pushes the ball towards long on for a single.

26.20

Pitched up again outside the off stump. Hashmatullah Shahidi plays it straight to covers off the front foot.

26.10

Tossed up on the stumps. Hashmatullah Shahidi plays it back to the bowler.

Ikram Alikhil walks out to bat now. Also, there is a change in bowling as Jos Buttler brings Joe Root into the attack.

Runs Scored 3 Runs

Score after 26 overs : 152/4

A Omarzai19 (24)

H Shahidi10 (20)

L Livingstone4-0-11-1

25.6W

OUT! CAUGHT! That's another one down for Afghanistan! Liam Livingstone pitches one up at the stumps and Azmatullah Omarzai looks to go all the way over the head of the bowler. Mishits the ball and skies it high in the air towards Chris Woakes standing at long off, who makes no mistake and reverse cups it near the boundary. Afghanistan are falling apart bit as here as England continue to chip away with wickets.

25.50

Pitched up on the stumps. Azmatullah Omarzai tries to flick it on the leg side but gets beaten in the process. The ball his his thigh pads and there is no run taken.

25.41

Pitched up at the stumps, swept away to deep square leg for a run.

25.31

Tossed up outside the off stump. Azmatullah Omarzai punches the ball to sweepers for a single.

25.21

Just short at the stumps. Hashmatullah Shahidi flicks the ball to deep mid-wicket for a single.

25.10

Pitched up outside the off stump. Hashmatullah Shahidi pushes the ball straight back to the bowler.

Runs Scored 10 Runs

Score after 25 overs : 149/3

A Omarzai18 (21)

H Shahidi8 (17)

C Woakes4-0-41-0

24.60

Hits the good length outside the off stump. Azmatullah Omarzai gets beaten completely this time to end the over.

24.50

Just short at the stumps. Azmatullah Omarzai stays back and tucks it down towards point.

24.44

FOUR! Width offered this time outside the off stump from the good length. Azmatullah Omarzai takes the front leg out and opens the face of the bat to beat point to his right and reach the sweepers boundary. What a shot!

24.30

Good length outside the off stump. Azmatullah Omarzai blocks it off the front foot to cover.

24.26

SIX! Big Shot! Chris Woakes pitches the ball up at the middle stump and Azmatullah Omarzai stands tall and lofts it over the mid on fielder for a huge six. First for his innings.

24.10

Hits the good length at the off stump. Azmatullah Omarzai stays on the crease and offers a defence straight back to the bowler.

Runs Scored 4 Runs

Score after 24 overs : 139/3

H Shahidi8 (17)

A Omarzai8 (15)

L Livingstone3-0-8-0

23.60

Just short at the stumps. Hashmatullah Shahidi goes back and blocks the ball straight back to the bowler.

23.51

Pitched up again outside the off stump and Azmatullah Omarzai pushes the ball to sweepers for a single.

23.41

Pitched up on the off stump, pushed on the front foot to long off for a single.

23.30

Tossed up on the stumps, turning away from the left-hander. Hashmatullah Shahidi misses the contact with the bat while offering a defence and the ball hits the back leg of the batter. Huge appeal for LBW but the umpire says no. Jos Buttler takes the review and UltraEdge show no bat and on Ball Tracking it is pitching in line, the impact is in line but missing the stumps. The decision stays not out and Hashmatullah Shahidi stays at the crease.

23.21

Tossed up outside the off stump and Azmatullah Omarzai plays the cover drive to long on for a single.

23.11

Just short outside the off stump. Hashmatullah Shahidi punches the ball to the left of point for a single.

Runs Scored 6 Runs

Score after 23 overs : 135/3

H Shahidi6 (13)

A Omarzai6 (13)

A Rashid7-1-29-2

22.61

Just short and slow outside the off stump. Hashmatullah Shahidi flicks it to deep square leg for a  run.

22.51

Pitched up on the stumps and Azmatullah Omarzai tucks it to deep mid wicket for a single.

22.41

Just short on the pads and Hashmatullah Shahidi flicks it for a single.

22.31

Another mix-up! Pitched up ball at the stumps. Azmatullah Omarzai pushes the ball to the right of the bowler and decides to run a single off the midfield. Liam Livingstone at mid-wicket gets to the ball quickly but his throw to Jos Buttler is a bit wayward, allowing Hashmatullah Shahidi to complete the single.

22.31wd

Wide! Wayward outside the leg stump. Wide called.

22.21

Pitched up at the stumps, flicked away to deep mid wicket for a single.

22.10

Good ball pitched up and spins in after pitching. Hashmatullah Shahidi gets on outside edge to point off the front foot.

Runs Scored 2 Runs

Score after 22 overs : 129/3

A Omarzai4 (11)

H Shahidi3 (9)

L Livingstone2-0-4-0

21.60

Pitched up slow on the off stump. Azmatullah Omarzai offers the front foot defence straight to the bowler.

21.50

Tossed up outside the off stump. Azmatullah Omarzai pushes the ball off the front foot straight to point.

21.40

Just short outside the off stump. Azmatullah Omarzai punches the ball straight to cover.

21.31

Tossed up at the stumps. Hashmatullah Shahidi pushes the ball to mid on and takes a run.

21.20

Bowled up on the off stump. Hashmatullah Shahidi plays it back to the bowler.

21.11

Pitched up on the off stump, pushed away to sweepers for a single.

Runs Scored 2 Runs

Score after 21 overs : 127/3

H Shahidi2 (7)

A Omarzai3 (7)

A Rashid6-1-23-2

20.60

Tossed up at the stumps. Hashmatullah Shahidi blocks it off the front foot.

20.51

Tossed up outside the off stump. Azmatullah Omarzai pushes the ball towards sweepers for a single.

20.40

Slow outside the off stump. Azmatullah Omarzai lets the ball go through.

20.30

Slow and up by Adil Rashid. The batter punches the ball back to the bowler.

20.20

Tossed up at the stumps, punched back to the bowler.

20.11

Tossed up at the stumps, flicked away towards square leg for a single

Runs Scored 2 Runs

Score after 20 overs : 125/3

H Shahidi1 (5)

A Omarzai2 (3)

L Livingstone1-0-2-0

19.61

Flatter delivery, short and on off, Hashmatullah Shahidi goes back in his crease and stabs it through covers for a run.

19.50

Full now but quicker again, on off, Hashmatullah Shahidi is happy to defend it on the off side.

19.40

Fired in, short and on off, Hashmatullah Shahidi keeps it out on the off side.

19.30

Fuller and on middle, Hashmatullah Shahidi gets on the front foot and flicks it to mid on.

19.21

Drags the length back and bowls it outside off, cut away to deep cover for a single.

19.10

Starts with a flighted delivery, turning away, on off, left alone by Azmatullah Omarzai.

Runs Scored 1 Runs

Score after 19 overs : 123/3

A Omarzai1 (1)

H Shahidi0 (1)

A Rashid5-1-21-2

18.61

Full and around off, Azmatullah Omarzai drives it to long off and gets off the mark with a single.

Azmatullah Omarzai is the next batter in.

18.5W

OUT! RUN OUT! Rahmanullah Gurbaz has been sold down the river and this is an absolute disaster for Afghanistan! Tossed up by Rashid, on the off stump, Hashmatullah Shahidi tries to drive it through the off side but gets it off the inner half of the bat in front of short mid-wicket. The substitute fielder, David Willey swoops in quickly and picks it up cleanly. Fires an accurate throw to Jos Buttler at the batting end who breaks the stumps in a flash. Rahmanullah Gurbaz has to put in the dive to make his ground but even the dive does not come to his rescue. He is absolutely livid with his skipper as trudges off into the dressing room.

Hashmatullah Shahidi is the new batter in for Afghanistan.

18.4W

OUT! STUMPED! Lovely bowling by Adil Rashid and some quick work from Jos Buttler! Rahmat Shah departs early in his 100th ODI. Offers flight from over the wicket and bowls it on off, Rahmat Shah gets sucked into the shot as he tries to play down the ground. However, the ball is not too full and he fails to get to the pitch of it. The ball spins away and beats Rahmat on the outside edge. He gets drawn well forward and Jos Buttler does the rest by taking the bails off. The replays confirm that Rahmat fails to drag his foot back in and it is on the crease when the bails are taken off.

18.30

Floated up yet again, on middle, Rahmat Shah is fully forward and blocks it out.

18.20

Flatter delivery, short and around off, Rahmat Shah goes on the back foot and punches it straight to short extra cover.

18.10

Drifting in, on middle, Rahmat Shah gets the weight on the front foot and defends it on the leg side.

Runs Scored 7 Runs

Score after 18 overs : 122/1

R Shah3 (4)

R Gurbaz80 (57)

M Wood4-0-23-0

17.61

Back of a length, on middle and leg, Rahmat Shah helps it off hips to deep backward square leg for another single.

17.51

Brave shot! Serves it on a length, at the stumps, Rahmanullah Gurbaz moves leg side and exposes all his stumps. Plays it almost off the stumps to third man for a single.

17.40

On a good length, around off, Rahmanullah Gurbaz dabs it off the back foot to backward point.

17.32

Shortish delivery, at the batter, Rahmanullah Gurbaz swivels and pulls it wide of deep backward square leg. Calls his partner for the second run and completes it with ease.

17.22

On the fourth stump line, on  length, Rahmanullah Gurbaz backs away and guides it with an open bat face towards third man. Joe Root on the boundary. puts in a dive to his right and saves a couple of runs for his side.

17.11

Skidding on, on a hard length, on off, Rahmat Shah gets on his toes and works it wide of point for a single.

Runs Scored 4 Runs

Score after 17 overs : 115/1

R Shah1 (2)

R Gurbaz75 (53)

A Rashid4-1-20-1

16.61

Fullish in length, on middle, Rahmat Shah knocks it through mid on and gets off the mark with a single.

16.50

Floated up, on off, Rahmat Shah gets a good stride in and defends it back to the bowler.

Rahmat Shah is the new batter for Afghanistan at number 3 on his 100th ODI.

16.4W

OUT! TAKEN! There is the breakthrough England were after and it is provided by Adil Rashid! Gives the ball air and bowls it full, at the stumps, Ibrahim Zadran clears his front leg and tries to swipe it over mid-wicket. The ball is a bit too full and fails to get any elevation. Hits it flat and straight to Joe Root who leaps and times the jump to perfection to complete the catch over his head. England would have wanted to see the back of Rahmanullah Gurbaz but they will take this one.

16.32

Fractionally short, around off, Ibrahim Zadran hangs on the back foot and punches it to the left of deep point for a couple of runs.

16.21

Fullish delivery, on off, Rahmanullah Gurbaz gets yorked and somehow manages to squeeze it behind square on the leg side for a single.

16.10

Floated up, on middle and leg, Rahmanullah Gurbaz makes room and blocks it down the wicket.

Runs Scored 5 Runs

Score after 16 overs : 111/0

I Zadran26 (46)

R Gurbaz74 (51)

M Wood3-0-16-0

15.60

Angling in, on a length, on middle and leg, Ibrahim Zadran nudges it with soft hands in front of mid-wicket.

15.50

Another bumper, over middle, Ibrahim Zadran looks to pull initially but aborts his shot at the last moment as the ball zips past him.

Halt - Reece Topley is out of the ground with an injury on the right knee. Doesn't look good for England.

15.40

At the batter by Wood, on a hard length, Ibrahim Zadran cannot get it away and has to block it out off the back foot.

15.31

Back of a length, around off, Rahmanullah Gurbaz hangs on the back foot and pushes away from the body. Gets an outside edge that races to third man for a single.

15.24

FOUR! Rahmanullah Gurbaz continues to deal in boundaries! Shortish delivery, at the batter, Rahmanullah Gurbaz gets hurried but still manages to pull it fine to the fine leg fence. Reece Topley sprints and dives to his right but his right knee makes a hard contact with the ground. The ball trickles to the fence and this does not look good for Reece Topley as he walks off with the physio.

15.10

Full and honing in at the pads, Rahmanullah Gurbaz gets his bat out in front and clips it straight to mid on.

Runs Scored 0 Runs

Score after 15 overs : 106/0

I Zadran26 (43)

R Gurbaz69 (48)

A Rashid3-1-16-0

14.60

Drifts the full delivery, on the pads, Ibrahim Zadran clips it nicely but straight to mid-wicket. A maiden by Adil Rashid.

14.50

Slows it up and bowls it outside off, Ibrahim Zadran goes for the drive without getting to the pitch of the ball. Gets it off the outer half to point for another dot.

14.40

Quicker this time, full and on middle, Ibrahim Zadran stabs it back to Adil Rashid.

14.30

Closer to the off-stump, fuller in length, Ibrahim Zadran makes room and pushes it off the front foot to short extra cover.

14.20

Looped up, on middle, Ibrahim Zadran plants his foot forward and smothers the ball onto the deck.

14.10

Fuller and sliding on, on middle, Ibrahim Zadran gets on the front foot and blocks it back to the bowler.

Drinks - Afghanistan is cruising at the moment with 106/0 on the board after 14 overs bowled. Rahmanullah Gurbaz is having a blast in the middle with the bat and Ibrahim Zadran is helping him keep the partnership intact. England need to come up with a plan to break the partnership. Adil Rashid will hold the key for them in this next passage of play.

Runs Scored 4 Runs

Score after 14 overs : 106/0

I Zadran26 (37)

R Gurbaz69 (48)

M Wood2-0-11-0

13.61

In the channel on off, on a good length, Ibrahim Zadran extends his arms and steers it down to third man for a single.

13.51

Persists with the shortish length to Gurbaz, on middle , pulled away in front of square for a single.

13.41

On a hard length, on off, Ibrahim Zadran stays back and plays it past point for a single.

13.30

Sharp bumper! Bends his back and directs the bumper near the right shoulder of the batter. Ibrahim Zadran gets hurried into the pull as the ball zips past him.

13.21

Shortish delivery, on middle, Rahmanullah Gurbaz stands tall and pulls it to deep square leg for a single.

13.10

Charges in and gets the ball to angled into the batter, on a short of a good length, Rahmanullah Gurbaz shapes to pull but the ball skids on and catches Gurbaz high on the thigh pad.

Runs Scored 9 Runs

Score after 13 overs : 102/0

R Gurbaz67 (45)

I Zadran24 (34)

A Rashid2-0-16-0

12.61

Back to bowling full, on off, Rahmanullah Gurbaz knocks it through mid off and keeps the strike with a single.

12.50

Pulls the length back, on off and middle, Rahmanullah Gurbaz pats it from the crease to cover.

12.46

SIX! Rahmanullah Gurbaz is making it look all so easy! Floated up, a bit too full, on middle, Rahmanullah Gurbaz picks the length early and nails the slog sweep. Clears the deep mid-wicket fence for a maximum.

12.31

Tossed up now, on off, Ibrahim Zadran eases it down to long off for a single.

12.21

Short and turning away, on off, Rahmanullah Gurbaz punches it through covers for a single.

12.10

Looped up, outside off, Rahmanullah Gurbaz goes for the sweep again but gets beaten in the flight. A stifled appeal as the ball catches on the front pad but the impact was outside off. Replays show that Gurbaz had gotten some glove on it as well.

Runs Scored 7 Runs

Score after 12 overs : 93/0

I Zadran23 (33)

R Gurbaz59 (40)

M Wood1-0-7-0

11.60

Goes wide of the crease and hurls it at 145.6 clicks, on a good length, on off, Ibrahim Zadran stays beside the ball and defends with a straight bat onto the deck.

11.51

Cramps the batter for room, on a short of a good length, Rahmanullah Gurbaz rises and dabs it wide of backward point for a single.

11.40

Short of a length, at the batter, Rahmanullah Gurbaz hops and keeps it out on the leg side.

11.36

SIX! Rahmanullah Gurbaz uses the pace to good effect! Wood bangs it in short, wide outside off, Rahmanullah Gurbaz lets the ball to come to him and opens the bat face to upper cut it wide of third man for a maximum.

11.20

On a hard length, on middle, Rahmanullah Gurbaz gets on top of the bounce and pushes it firmly back to the bowler

11.10

Starts from over the wicket and bowls it on a good length, angling in, on middle, Rahmanullah Gurbaz gets behind the line and defends it off the back foot to cover.

Runs Scored 7 Runs

Score after 11 overs : 86/0

R Gurbaz52 (35)

I Zadran23 (32)

A Rashid1-0-7-0

10.61

Offers more flight and serves it full, on middle, Rahmanullah Gurbaz drives with a straight bat to long on for a single.

10.51

Shorter now, on middle, Ibrahim Zadran bunts it to the left of mid-wicket where a fumble results in an easy single.

10.40

Keeps it fuller and on middle, Ibrahim Zadran plays it back to the bowler.

10.31

Drops it short, at the stumps, punched down to long on for a single.

10.24

FOUR! Swept neatly and that will be FIFTY for Rahmanullah Gurbaz! First fifty of this World Cup for the talented Afghan batter. Tossed up, on off and middle, Rahmanullah Gurbaz gets down on one knee and controls the sweep to hit it wide of deep square leg for a boundary.

10.10

Starts with a flighted delivery, full and around off, Rahmanullah Gurbaz lunges forward and pushes it to short extra cover.

Powerplay 2! England can now have 4 fielders outside the 30-yard circle until the 40th over. With the field opening up, it will be interesting to see if Rahmanullah Gurbaz can continue the boundary hitting. Also, a change in bowling as Adil Rashid comes on to bowl, replacing Sam Curran.

Runs Scored 4 Runs

Score after 10 overs : 79/0

I Zadran22 (30)

R Gurbaz46 (31)

R Topley5-1-21-0

9.60

Slower ball pitched up outside the off stump. Ibrahim Zadran pushes it off the front foot straight to covers to end the first Powerplay for Afghanistan.

9.52

Just short outside the off stump. Ibrahim Zadran guides the ball to the left of third man for a couple.

9.40

Just short on the off stump. Ibrahim Zadran stays on the crease and blocks it out.

9.31lb

On the pads hitting Rahmanullah Gurbaz's thigh pad from the good length. The batters pick up a single from square leg.

9.20

Hits the good length on the off stump and Rahmanullah Gurbaz plays the front foot defence straight to covers.

9.11

Just short on the top of the off stump. Ibrahim Zadran dabs it to the right of Jos Buttler and runs a single.

Runs Scored 20 Runs

Score after 9 overs : 75/0

R Gurbaz46 (29)

I Zadran19 (26)

S Curran2-0-26-0

8.62

Slower ball pitched up on the off stump. Rahmanullah Gurbaz pushes the ball to the right of sweepers and runs a couple. Big over for Afghanistan.

8.56

SIX! Thats flat, thats out of the park. Rahmanullah Gurbaz on a mission. Short ball at the batter by Sam Curran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz pulls it flat over deep square leg boundary for a maximum.

8.44

FOUR! On the pads swinging in and Rahmanullah Gurbaz only had to put bat on ball to take it to the fine leg boundary using the pace of the ball. What a start for Afghanistan.

8.34

FOUR! Magnificent shot off the front foot. Good-length ball outside the off stump and Rahmanullah Gurbaz takes the front foot out and plays the cover drive beating covers for another boundary.

8.21

Slower ball outside the off stump. Ibrahim Zadran goes for the cut but gets an outside edge. Jos Buttler leaps to his right and parries the ball with his right glove to short third man for a single.

8.22nb

Slower ball just short outside the off stump. Rahmanullah Gurbaz cuts it late to deep backward point for a single. It is a NO BALL for overstepping. Free Hit ball coming up.

8.11

Just short at the batter. Ibrahim Zadran tucks the ball to the right of mid-wicket for a single.

Runs Scored 4 Runs

Score after 8 overs : 55/0

R Gurbaz29 (24)

I Zadran17 (24)

R Topley4-1-18-0

7.60

Hits the good length on the stumps. Rahmanullah Gurbaz takes a leg out and plays the front foot defence.

7.50

Slower ball again at the stumps from the length. Rahmanullah Gurbaz blocks the ball from the crease.

7.40

Good length again on the middle stump. Rahmanullah Gurbaz offers a front foot defence straight to covers.

7.30

Slower ball from the good length outside the off stump. Beating Rahmanullah Gurbaz all ends up as he shaped to play it fine on the off side.

7.20

Hits the good length on the stumps. Rahmanullah Gurbaz plays it straight back to the bowler.

7.14

FOUR! Another boundary for Rahmanullah Gurbaz as he times another one to perfection. Good length ball straightening from the angle outside the off stump and Rahmanullah Gurbaz glides it beating cover point for another boundary.

Runs Scored 6 Runs

Score after 7 overs : 51/0

I Zadran17 (24)

R Gurbaz25 (18)

S Curran1-0-6-0

6.60

Hits the good length again on the off stump. Ibrahim Zadran plays it back to Sam Curran again to end the over.

6.50

Good length ball at the stumps. Ibrahim Zadran blocks the ball off the back foot to mid on.

6.41

Pitched up outside the off stump. Rahmanullah Gurbaz drops it in front of cover for a single.

6.31

Just short outside the off stump. Ibrahim Zadran plays it to the right of point of a single and brings up Afghanistan's 50.

6.20

Pitched up again, swinging in on the middle stump. Ibrahim Zadran takes the front leg out and pushes the ball straight to mid on.

6.14

FOUR! That is beautifully played off the front foot. Sam Curran pitches it up outside the off stump and Ibrahim Zadran plays a perfect cover drive between covers and mid off for a boundary to start the over.

Runs Scored 10 Runs

Score after 6 overs : 45/0

R Gurbaz24 (17)

I Zadran12 (19)

R Topley3-1-14-0

5.60

Bowls a good-length ball on the off stump. Rahmanullah Gurbaz plays it straight back to the bowler off the front foot.

5.50

Just short again outside the off stump. Rahmanullah Gurbaz blocks it from the crease.

5.44

FOUR! Rahmanullah Gurbaz looking unstoppable! Short and wide by Reece Topley and he jumps on it and cuts it hard beating the diving Joe Root at cover point low to his left for another boundary.

5.31

Pitched up on the legs. Ibrahim Zadran flicks the ball towards deep square leg for a single.

5.20

Pitched up on the off stump. Ibrahim Zadran punches the ball straight into the hands of covers.

5.21wd

Wayward outside the leg stump again. Wide called.

5.14

FOUR! Ibrahim Zadran gets into the act now! Reece Topley hits the length outside the off stump and Ibrahim Zadran leans onto it and places the ball to the right of point for a beautiful boundary.

Runs Scored 10 Runs

Score after 5 overs : 35/0

I Zadran7 (16)

R Gurbaz20 (14)

C Woakes3-0-31-0

4.61

Pitched up again outside the off stump. Ibrahim Zadran pushes the ball to the right of mid off for a single to end the over.

4.50

Hits the good length on the off stump. Ibrahim Zadran plays a front foot defence straight to covers.

4.41

Pitched up on the stumps. Rahmanullah Gurbaz pushes the ball to the left of mid on and runs a single.

4.34

FOUR! Another one again on the off side. Rahmanullah Gurbaz is taking Chris Woakes on. Pitched up outside the off stump and Rahmanullah Gurbaz plays the drive beating cover-point to his right for another boundary.

4.24

FOUR! Hammered away on the off side. Pitched up swinging away on the off stump. Rahmanullah Gurbaz opens up the off side by moving away and lofts the ball over covers for a handsome boundary.

4.10

Hits the good length on the middle stump line. Rahmanullah Gurbaz comes out and drops the ball straight back to the bowler.

Runs Scored 4 Runs

Score after 4 overs : 25/0

R Gurbaz11 (10)

I Zadran6 (14)

R Topley2-1-4-0

3.61

Just short outside the off stump. Rahmanullah Gurbaz stays back and steers the ball towards third man for a single to end the over.

3.51

Pitched up on the off stump. Ibrahim Zadran takes a leg out and punches the ball to the right of mid off for a single.

3.40

Just short at the stumps. Ibrahim Zadran offers a block from the crease towards covers.

3.41wd

Wayward swing from outside the leg stump, beating the batter. Wide called.

3.31

Just short outside the off stump. Rahmanullah Gurbaz plays at it late and opens the face towards third man for a single.

3.20

Just short of length on top of the middle stump. Rahmanullah Gurbaz jumps and blocks the ball straight to covers.

3.10

Pitched up at the stumps, swinging into the right hander. Rahmanullah Gurbaz takes a leg out and pushes the ball straight to mid on.

Runs Scored 14 Runs

Score after 3 overs : 21/0

I Zadran5 (12)

R Gurbaz9 (6)

C Woakes2-0-21-0

2.60

Hits the good length outside the off stump. Ibrahim Zadran pushes it straight to the hands of covers.

2.54

FOUR! What a shot! Short ball outside the off stump and Ibrahim Zadran goes back and punches it straight to cover point where Jonny Bairstow misjudges the awkward bounce of the ball and it goes under his hands for a boundary. Big over for Afghanistan.

2.40

Pitched up at the stumps. Ibrahim Zadran offers a front foot defence down the wicket.

2.42wd

2 Wides! Wayward outside the leg stump and another fumble by Jos Buttler behind the stumps, low to his left for an extra run.

2.36

SIX! What a cracker of a shot! Crunched over mid-wicket for a huge six. Short ball outside the off stump and Rahmanullah Gurbaz pulls it off the front foot for a maximum. First of the Afghanistan innings.

2.22

Aggressive intent by Rahmanullah Gurbaz as he steps down to a good-length ball outside the off stump and lofts it over the covers fielder for a couple.

2.10

Just short outside the off stump. Beats Rahmanullah Gurbaz as he looks to cut the ball from the crease.

Runs Scored 0 Runs

Score after 2 overs : 7/0

I Zadran1 (9)

R Gurbaz1 (3)

R Topley1-1-0-0

1.60

Fuller ball at the stumps, pitching outside the leg stump. Ibrahim Zadran gets a hit on the pads while trying to flick the ball. Its a maiden over from Reece Topley.

1.50

Fuller ball outside the off stump. Ibrahim Zadran pushes the ball straight to mid off.

1.40

Pitched up outside the off stump. Ibrahim Zadran takes a leg out and plays the ball to the right of point. No run.

1.30

Just short again from over the wicket outside the off stump. Ibrahim Zadran stays back and pushes the ball straight to covers.

1.20

Just short at the body of Ibrahim Zadran who jumps and tucks the ball straight to square leg.

1.10

Hits the good length on top of the off stump. Ibrahim Zadran plays the front foot defence.

Reece Topley will steam in from the other end. He is starting with just a slip in place.

Runs Scored 7 Runs

Score after 1 overs : 7/0

R Gurbaz1 (3)

I Zadran1 (3)

C Woakes1-0-7-0

0.60

Pitched up again at the off stump. Rahmanullah Gurbaz offers a front foot defence to end the over.

0.51

Pitched up outside the off stump. Ibrahim Zadran pushes the ball getting the outside edge towards third man for a run.

0.40

Pitched up at the stumps. Ibrahim Zadran offers a front foot defence to square leg.

0.30

Just short on top of the off stump. Blocked from the crease by Ibrahim Zadran.

0.21

Hits the good length outside the off stump. Rahmanullah Gurbaz slashes at the delivery but gets an outside edge to third man for a single.

0.10

Just short outside the off stump, left alone by the batter.

0.15wd

FIVE WIDES! That is sloppy to start the game as Chris Woakes bowls one outside the leg stump and the ball wobbles and shapes away from Jos Buttler who lets it through his legs for five wides. Afghanistan off the mark with extras.

We are done with the pre-game formalities and it is now time for the action to get underway. The bell has been rung as part of a tradition at this venue. The two umpires make their way out to the middle followed by the England players. It will be Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran to open the innings for Afghanistan. Chris Woakes has the new ball in hand and is raring to go. Two slips in place. Let's play...

We are moments away from the start of this clash, but before that, the match officials and the players, along with their mascots, will line up for the national anthems. It will be Afghanistan's national anthem first followed by the national anthem of England.

PITCH REPORT - Dinesh Karthik and Lisa Sthalekar are pitchside. They start by informing that the weather is quite hot but there is wind blowing across which should offer some respite to the players. The boundaries are 66 metres and 58 metres on either side of the square while the straight boundaries are 72 metres long. They reckon that this surface has a lot of runs in it and feel that there will be dew later in the evening. They end by saying that the team winning the toss should bowl first and chase later.

Afghanistan's skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi says that they would have bowled first as well. Adds that they will look to bat well now. Feels that it is a good wicket and expects the same conditions as the last game. Hopes to put pressure on England and do well. Reckons that a score above 300 will be challenging as they have good spinners. Ends by informing that they have made one change with Ikram Alikhil coming in for Najibullah Zadran.

The captain of England, Jos Buttler says that they will bowl first. Mentions that there is no particular reason behind the decision but adds that they wanted to chase. Informs that they are going with an unchanged team. Reckons that it is a good batting wicket on which India and South Africa have posted good totals. Also says that they are playing a talented, tough team, but they will focus on themselves.

Afghanistan (Playing XI) - Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil (In for Najibullah Zadran), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq.

England (Unchanged Playing XI) - Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Jos Buttler (C/WK), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley.

TOSS - The flip of the coin lands in the favour of Jos Buttler and England have opted to BOWL first.

In contrast, Afghanistan's journey in the 2023 ODI World Cup has been less than ideal, marked by two consecutive losses. They struggled with the bat in their opening match against Bangladesh but showed resilience by posting a competitive total against India, thanks to an improved batting performance. The bright spots for Afghanistan that emerged in the loss were Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai, who returned to form. The top order, consisting of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, has demonstrated their capabilities, and Afghanistan's collective hope lies in the synchronization of their batting prowess. On the bowling front, Rashid Khan displayed his class, albeit without ample support from his teammates. Fazalhaq Farooqi, the ace pacer, and the spin wizard Mujeeb Ur Rahman leaked boundaries, challenging Afghanistan's bowling strength. Will England extend their dominance, or can Afghanistan orchestrate an upset? Stay tuned to find out as the toss and team news is not far away.

England, the reigning champions, have experienced mixed results, with one resounding victory against Bangladesh following a humbling defeat to New Zealand. England's batting display was nothing short of sensational in their last game. Dawid Malan and Joe Root paved the way for an imposing total of 364 runs. However, despite their impressive win, England's middle-order batters, including Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone and Harry Brook, fell short of converting the start into substantial contributions. While Reece Topley's mesmerizing seam bowling dismantled Bangladesh's batting lineup, the collective aim for England is to address the inconsistencies in their middle-order and possibly await the return of the injured Ben Stokes. Bowling-wise, the partnership of Mark Wood and Reece Topley shone brightly, compensating for the slightly expensive outings of Chris Woakes and Sam Curran. Including Moeen Ali in the lineup remains a talking point for the team management.

Hello everyone around the globe and welcome onboard. Thank you for joining us as the 2023 ODI World Cup continues its whirlwind of matches, and the spotlight now falls on match number 13 between England and Afghanistan, set to take place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. The weather in Delhi looks good for a cricket match and we don't expect the rain gods to make an appearance. Let's get in the groove and see how this encounter shapes out for the cricketing world.

... MATCH DAY ...

The games continue to come thick and fast in the 2023 ODI World Cup, and it is now time for match number 13, which sees England square off against Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. As things stand, England have one win from their two games played, whereas Afghanistan have suffered two losses in as many games and are yet to get off the mark in the competition. After suffering a crushing defeat to New Zealand on the opening night in Ahmedabad, the defending champions registered a convincing win against Bangladesh in their next game. Dawid Malan's 140 and Joe Root's 82 were backed up with contributions from the rest of the batters, as England managed to post 364 runs on the board. With the ball, Reece Topley put on an absolute clinic of seam bowling and broke the back of the Bangladesh batting unit. At one stage in the game, England were on course to post 400, but the likes of Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, and Harry Brook in the middle order were unable to convert their starts. Despite the win, the form of middle-order batters is an issue, and they will hope to return to form soon. Also, uncertainty looms large over the fitness of Ben Stokes, who is yet to feature at this World Cup for England. It was a near-perfect effort with the ball in Dharamsala, and it would require something similar in Delhi, which is a batting paradise. Chris Woakes and Sam Curran were a bit expensive by their standards, but the tidy spells from Mark Wood and Reece Topley made up for it. Having left out Moeen Ali in the last game, it will be interesting to see whether they bring him back or stick with the same winning combination. On the other hand, Afghanistan have had a far-from-ideal start to their World Cup campaign, conceding back-to-back losses. After a flop show with the bat against Bangladesh in the first game, their batters stepped up against India, which allowed them to post a competitive total. However, their new-ball attack was unable to set the tone as Rohit Sharma took them to the cleaners and took the game away from Afghanistan inside the first ten overs. The silver lining for them in this heavy loss was that the likes of Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai returned to form. Their top order, comprising Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, and Rahmat Shah, has been among the runs in recent times, and the Afghans will be hoping that the batting clicks collectively. In what was an off day for the bowling unit, Rashid Khan stood out without much support from the other end. Their ace pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi leaked boundaries consistently, as did the spin of Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and the duo will be required to pull up their socks against the strong English batting unit. If they wish to strengthen their bowling, wrist spinner Noor Ahmad might get a look in, whose Indian T20 League experience will come in handy. The previous ODI meeting between these two sides took place during the 2019 ODI World Cup, where England came out on top comfortably. Will England extend their dominance? Or do Afghanistan have it in them to pull off an upset? We will find out together.