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The 13th clash of the ongoing ICC ODI World Cup 2023 saw world champions England locking horns with Afghanistan on October 15, Sunday. England were coming off a win over Bangladesh in their last fixture, while Afghanistan were yet to taste the sweet victory in the 13th edition of the marquee event. The Sunday clash kicked off with the English skipper Jos Buttler winning the toss and opting to field first.
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Batting first, Afghanistan, under the captaincy of Hashmatullah Shahidi, posted a score of 284 runs before getting bundled out by their opponents. Apart from Rahmanullah Gurbaz's 57-baller 80 and Ikram Alikhil's 58-run knock, the Afghanistan batting unit couldn't put up a decent performance.
The Three Lions were destructive while bowling to their rivals, while Adil Rashid emerged as the highest wicket-taker with three dismissals under his name. In the second innings, the Afghans got some quick success in the form of Jonny Bairstow, as the opener was sent back to pavilion on first ball of second over.
The 2019 champions tried their best to gain some stability for their side and continue their momentum in the match. However, Shahidi and his men had already decided to make up for their average batting performance as they ruthlessly dismissed their opponent batters in quick succession.
Harry Brook remained their highest scorer with his 66 runs off 61 deliveries, before the remaining batters seemed to have surrendered before the bowlers. Needless to say, the Afghanistan cricketers performed like underdogs and secured their first win against one of the strongest team.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman picked the highest number of wickets (3) to help their team secure their first win of the season, with a margin of 70 runs.
