Making history in Afghanistan’s first-ever Champions Trophy appearance, Ibrahim Zadran became the first Afghan batsman to score a century in the tournament. He achieved this milestone against England today.
In the eighth match of the ongoing Champions Trophy, England and Afghanistan faced off at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday. Winning the toss, Afghanistan opted to bat first but soon found themselves in trouble.
By 8.5 overs, Afghanistan had lost three of their top-order batsmen with only 37 runs on the scoreboard. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sadiqullah Atal, and Rahmat Shah all departed early.
Opener Ibrahim Zadran then took charge alongside captain Hashmatullah Shahidi. The duo rescued the team by putting together a 103-run partnership off 124 balls for the fourth wicket. Hashmatullah was dismissed after scoring 40 runs off 67 balls.
From the start of his innings, Ibrahim batted brilliantly, reaching the magical three-figure mark in 106 balls with six fours and three sixes. This was his sixth century in ODI cricket.
At 212 runs, Azmatullah Omarzai was dismissed after scoring 41 off 31 balls. However, Ibrahim continued his onslaught against the English bowlers, with experienced all-rounder Mohammad Nabi joining him at the crease. The two put together an 111-run partnership.
Thanks to their batting heroics, Afghanistan posted a formidable total of 325/7 in their allotted 50 overs. Ibrahim scored a magnificent 177 off 146 balls, while Nabi contributed 40 off 24 balls. For England, Jofra Archer was the pick of the bowlers, taking three wickets.
