| 0.0 : TOSS - The coin goes up in the air and lands in favour of Jos Buttler. England have elected to BOWL first. |
| England (Playing XI) - Jos Buttler (C) (WK), Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood. |
| Afghanistan (Playing XI) - Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ibrahim Zadran, Usman Ghani, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (C), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi. |
| Jos Buttler, the skipper of England says that they will have a bowl first and would like to chase. Adds that it has been a long build-up and they are as ready as they could be. Says that he is really excited about captaining his national team in a World Cup and mentions that they have many match-winners in their side. Informs that they have left out David Willey, Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills and Philip Salt for this game. |
| Mohammad Nabi, the captain of Afghanistan says that the plan was to bat first and put runs on the board and then put pressure on England with the ball.  Adds that the preparation has been good and they are getting used to the conditions. Mentions that he is excited as a captain and hopes that the team will do well. |
| We are just a few minutes away from the start of play but before that, the two sets of players will line up for their respective national anthems. It will be Afghanistan's national anthem first followed by the national anthem of England. |
| Done with the pre-match formalities and it is now time to play. The umpires are out in the middle as the English players can be seen taking their places on the field. The Afghan opening pair of Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz also make their way out to the middle. Ben Stokes has the new ball in hand and will get proceedings underway here. Let's play... |
| 0.1 : Ben Stokes to Hazratullah Zazai, Good start from Stokes! He begins with a full delivery, on middle, swinging in, Hazratullah Zazai tentatively blocks it down the pitch. |
| 0.2 : Ben Stokes to Hazratullah Zazai, Afghanistan and Hazratullah Zazai are underway! This is on a length and around leg, Zazai flicks it towards short fine leg for a single. |
| 0.3 : Ben Stokes to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Length again, on middle, straightens after hitting the deck, Rahmanullah Gurbaz knocks it to the leg side. |
| 0.4 : Ben Stokes to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Stokes serves this a touch fuller and outside off, Rahmanullah Gurbaz goes for the big booming drive but misses and Jos Buttler takes it around his chest area. |
| 0.5 : Ben Stokes to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Swing and a miss! This is full again and around off, Rahmanullah Gurbaz charges down the pitch and swings wildly but cannot conenct. |
| 0.6 : Ben Stokes to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Back of a length and on leg, Rahmanullah Gurbaz tucks it towards short fine leg for a run. Only two runs from the first over then. |
| Chris Woakes to share the new ball with Ben Stokes. |
| 1.1 : Chris Woakes to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Chris Woakes starts with a back-of-a-length delivery, on off, Rahmanullah Gurbaz taps it down and calls for the run but his partner refuses. |
| 1.2 : Chris Woakes to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, This is on a good length and on off, Rahmanullah Gurbaz looks to play at it but gets an thick outside edge towards the left of third man where the fielder dives to that side to stop it. Two runs taken! |
| 1.3 : Chris Woakes to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, SIX! Amazing shot! That is the first boundary of the match! Chris Woakes serves this a touch fuller and around off, Rahmanullah Gurbaz moves across and laps it over the fine leg fence for a biggie. |
| 1.4 : Chris Woakes to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Full and on off, Rahmanullah Gurbaz drives it towards cover for a single. |
| 1.5 : Chris Woakes to Hazratullah Zazai, This is pitched up and on off, Hazratullah Zazai pushes it to the off side. |
| 1.6 : Chris Woakes to Hazratullah Zazai, A slower one now, on a length and on middle, Hazratullah Zazai keeps it out to the leg side. |
| Early change in the bowling as Mark Wood is brought into the attack. |
| 2.1 : Mark Wood to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, OUT! CAUGHT BEHIND! Mark Wood draws first blood! He provides the breakthrough straightaway on his very first ball. Wood bowls this on a fullish length and on the fourth stump line, Rahmanullah Gurbaz looks to block it out but gets a thin outside edge towards the keeper where Jos Buttler makes no mistake. There is an appeal for the catch and up goes the finger. Rahmanullah Gurbaz goes back for a cheap score and Afghanistan lose their first wicket. |
| 0.0 : Ibrahim Zadran walks in at number 3. |
| 2.2 : Mark Wood to Ibrahim Zadran, Wood is spitting fire out there as he bowls this delivery at 154 KPH, astonishing! This is similar to the previous delivery, fuller and angling in from around off stump. Ibrahim Zadran tries to block but doesn't have a clue as to when the ball zipped past his outside edge. |
| 2.3 : Mark Wood to Ibrahim Zadran, This is banged in shorter and over leg stump, Zadran looks to pull but is beaten for pace once again. |
| 2.4 : Mark Wood to Ibrahim Zadran, FOUR! Ibrahim Zadran gets off the mark in style! Mark Wood tries for the yorker but bowls a low full toss, on off, Ibrahim Zadran drives it along the ground and the ball just flies the cover-point fielder for a boundary. |
| 2.5 : Mark Wood to Ibrahim Zadran, This is on a hard length and outside off, Ibrahim Zadran leaves it alone. |
| 2.6 : Mark Wood to Ibrahim Zadran, Mark Wood bowls this a touch fuller, on leg, Ibrahim Zadran works it with the inner half towards mid-wicket. |
| 3.1 : Chris Woakes to Hazratullah Zazai, Chris Woakes bowls a slower delivery, on a length and on off, Hazratullah Zazai goes through his flick early and misses it completely. |
| 3.2 : Chris Woakes to Hazratullah Zazai, On a length and on middle, Hazratullah Zazai looks to work it to the leg side but closes the face of his bat early and gets a leading edge back to the bowler. |
| 3.3 : Chris Woakes to Hazratullah Zazai, Length again and on off, Hazratullah Zazai guides it towards point. |
| 3.4 : Chris Woakes to Hazratullah Zazai, A bit fuller and on off, Hazratullah Zazai pushes it towards cover. |
| 3.5 : Chris Woakes to Hazratullah Zazai, FOUR! Zazai finally gets into the act! Chris Woakes tries another slower one but bowls this short and wide on off, Hazratullah Zazai stays there and punches it over extra cover for a boundary. |
| 3.6 : Chris Woakes to Hazratullah Zazai, This is pitched up, on off, Hazratullah Zazai drives it towards mid off for a single. |
| 4.1 : Mark Wood to Hazratullah Zazai, Wood bowls a yorker, on middle, Hazratullah Zazai digs it out towards mid on for a single. |
| 4.2 : Mark Wood to Ibrahim Zadran, Mark Wood bowls this on a good length, on off, at 150 clicks, Ibrahim Zadran gets late into his defensive shot and gets beaten. |
| 4.3 : Mark Wood to Ibrahim Zadran, SIX! BANG! Zadran uses the pace to great effect! Wood lands this short and on the leg stump line, Ibrahim Zadran stays there and hooks it over the fine leg fence for a biggie. |
| 4.4 : Mark Wood to Ibrahim Zadran, Swing and a miss! This is on a hard length and on middle, Ibrahim Zadran looks to heave it over mid-wicket but misses. |
| 4.5 : Mark Wood to Ibrahim Zadran, BEATEN! Mark Wood is bowling with serious pace here! This is on a good length and on off, Ibrahim Zadran looks to block it but gets beaten on the outside edge. |
| 4.6 : Mark Wood to Ibrahim Zadran, Another length ball around off at 150 kmph, Ibrahim Zadran tries to poke at it but cannot connect again. |
| 5.1 : Chris Woakes to Hazratullah Zazai, Top of the off line and swinging in late. Hazratullah Zazai hangs deep and just defends it out onto the deck. |
| 5.2 : Chris Woakes to Hazratullah Zazai, Swing and a miss! Shorter this time and around leg stump, Zazai backs away looking to swing across the line but is beaten by the extra bounce. |
| 5.3 : Chris Woakes to Hazratullah Zazai, Leg bye! The off-cutter this time from Woakes, on a fuller length and on leg stump. Hazratullah Zazai looks to nudge it leg side but misses. The ball goes off the pads and towards backward point as the batters get a leg bye. |
| 5.4 : Chris Woakes to Ibrahim Zadran, EDGED AND FOUR! The slip's been taken out and now the edge is found. Good length, in that channel around off. Ibrahim Zadran looks to block but gets an outside edge that flies past the diving wicket-keeper and into the third-man fence. |
| 5.5 : Chris Woakes to Ibrahim Zadran, Good running! Full and straight, this is flicked away through mid-wicket for a couple of runs. |
| 5.6 : Chris Woakes to Ibrahim Zadran, WIDE! Back of a length and well outside off, swinging away further. Left alone for a wide. |
| Chris Woakes to Ibrahim Zadran, Good length, outside off, Zadran has a dab at it but gets beaten. At the end of the Powerplay, Afghanistan are 35/1! |
| Ben Stokes replaces Mark Wood. He conceded just two runs in his first over. |
| 6.1 : Ben Stokes to Hazratullah Zazai, Missed opportunity! Slower and fuller, around leg stump, Hazratullah Zazai looks to flick and misses. The ball rolls off the pads towards cover. Ibrahim Zadran is already halfway through before he is sent back but Moeen Ali fails to conjure a direct hit. |
| 6.2 : Ben Stokes to Hazratullah Zazai, Banged in short and angling across the left-hander. Hazratullah Zazai looks to swing across the line but misses. |
| 6.3 : Ben Stokes to Hazratullah Zazai, OUT! TAKEN! Liam Livingstone with an unreal catch and Afghanistan lose their second wicket. Ben Stokes bangs this one halfway down the track and bowls it wider of the off pole. Hazratullah Zazai slaps it away aerially as he looks to clear the point fence but the square boundaries at this ground are very big. The connection isn't good enough. Livingstone from deep cover-point runs in and then dives full stretch to his right to grab it with both hands. Zaz |
| Usman Ghani comes out to the middle now. |
| 6.4 : Ben Stokes to Usman Ghani, Length ball, around middle, Usman Ghani just drops it onto the off side and scampers through for a single. |
| 6.5 : Ben Stokes to Ibrahim Zadran, Around the top of off, Ibrahim Zadran defends this one of the front foot. |
| 6.6 : Ben Stokes to Ibrahim Zadran, Short of a length and around the body, Ibrahim Zadran gets inside the line of the ball and manages to guide it down to fine leg for a single. |
| Sam Curran has been introduced into the attack now. |
| 7.1 : Sam Curran to Ibrahim Zadran, Curran starts off with a length ball, slanting it across the off stump. Ibrahim Zadran stays back and just looks to run it down to third man but can't find the gap. |
| 7.2 : Sam Curran to Ibrahim Zadran, On a good length, close to the off pole, Zadran looks to play it from close to his body but gets beaten past the outside edge. |
| 7.3 : Sam Curran to Ibrahim Zadran, On the shorter side and around off, Zadran manages to play it towards the right of the man at third man and collects a single. |
| 7.4 : Sam Curran to Usman Ghani, Short ball, over leg stump and Usman Ghani ducks under it well. |
| 7.5 : Sam Curran to Usman Ghani, FOUR! Easy pickings! Good length, down the leg side and Usman Ghani just works it fine off his hips and finds the fence. |
| 7.6 : Sam Curran to Usman Ghani, A touch fuller and outside off, Usman Ghani drives it straight to the man at cover-point. |
| We will see spin for the first time as Adil Rashid is ready to bowl his leggies. |
| 8.1 : Adil Rashid to Ibrahim Zadran, Adil Rashid starts off on a nagging length and around off. This one slides on and Ibrahim Zadran just drives through the line, in front of mid-wicket for a single. |
| 8.2 : Adil Rashid to Usman Ghani, This is shorter and over off stump, Usman Ghani pulls it off the back foot towards deep mid-wicket for a run. |
| 8.3 : Adil Rashid to Ibrahim Zadran, Fuller this time and around off, Ibrahim Zadran strokes it towards cover. |
| 8.4 : Adil Rashid to Ibrahim Zadran, Flatter delivery, it is short and wide outside off. Ibrahim Zadran slaps it away in front of the square on the off side and picks up a couple of runs. |
| 8.5 : Adil Rashid to Ibrahim Zadran, Slightly tossed up outside off and turning away, Ibrahim Zadran watchfully plays it out on the off side. |
| 8.6 : Adil Rashid to Ibrahim Zadran, A tad shorter and on middle and leg, this is worked off the back foot towards mid-wicket for one. |
| 9.1 : Ben Stokes to Ibrahim Zadran, Length ball, on off stump, Ibrahim Zadran defends it back onto the deck. |
| 0.0 : Ben Stokes (2-0-4-1)Â is back on. |
| 9.2 : Ben Stokes to Ibrahim Zadran, Nicely bowled! Slower delivery, on a fullish length and well outside off. Ibrahim Zadran looks for the booming drive but the ball nips away and beats the bat. |
| 9.3 : Ben Stokes to Ibrahim Zadran, WIDE! Banged in short and over the stumps, a bit too short though for the umpire's liking. |
| Ben Stokes to Ibrahim Zadran, FOUR! Glorious! A half-volley, around off, Ibrahim Zadran crouches down and just drives it past the man at extra cover for a boundary. With that, the 50 is up for Afghanistan! |
| 9.4 : Ben Stokes to Ibrahim Zadran, Full and outside off, Ibrahim Zadran plays it with an angled bat and behind square on the off side for a brace. |
| 9.5 : Ben Stokes to Ibrahim Zadran, Back of a length and around off, Ibrahim Zadran hops and dabs it down towards short third man for a single. |
| 9.6 : Ben Stokes to Usman Ghani, Pitches it up now, around off and this is hit on the up but straight towards mid off. At the halfway mark, Afghanistan are 55/2! |
| 10.1 : Adil Rashid to Ibrahim Zadran, Short and outside off, Ibrahim Zadran cuts it towards sweeper cover for a single. |
| 0.0 : Drinks break! England will be happy with the situation at the halfway stage but they know that Afghanistan do have some power hitters down the order. They will be looking to break this partnership and test the middle order of Afghanistan who are playing their first ever T20I in these conditions. Afghanistan will look to take the game deep and then accelerate at the end. An exciting session awaits us. |
| 10.2 : Adil Rashid to Usman Ghani, Floated, short and on middle, Usman Ghani thinks about going for the pull but ends up playing it towards long on for a run. |
| 10.3 : Adil Rashid to Ibrahim Zadran, Flatter and around middle, Ibrahim Zadran works it towards long on for another one. |
| 10.4 : Adil Rashid to Usman Ghani, Shorter in length and on middle, Usman Ghani moves back and pulls it towards wide of deep mid-wicket for a brace. |
| 10.5 : Adil Rashid to Usman Ghani, Tossed up, full and on off, Usman Ghani drags it towards long on for one. |
| 10.6 : Adil Rashid to Ibrahim Zadran, Flighted, short and on off, turning away, Ibrahim Zadran pushes it towards cover-point for a single. |
| Sam Curran (1-0-5-0) is back on. |
| 11.1 : Najibullah Zadran is the new man in. |
| Sam Curran to Ibrahim Zadran, OUT! TAKEN! Sam Curran strikes and sends the set batter back to the hut. He bowls the slower ball really well here, a bit fuller and on off, angling away, Ibrahim Zadran goes for the drive, but is through his shot way too early. As a result, the ball is chipped high in the air towards the cover region where Moeen Ali takes a good catch running backwards and makes it look really simple. Afghanistan three down now. |
| 11.2 : Sam Curran to Najibullah Zadran, Full and angling into middle stump, Najibullah Zadran stays back and works it towards square leg for a single. |
| 11.3 : Sam Curran to Usman Ghani, Back of a length and around off, Usman Ghani stays on the back foot and taps it towards the fielder at point for a quick single. |
| 11.4 : Sam Curran to Najibullah Zadran, Banged in short and over off stump, it is sharp but Najibullah Zadran ducks under it well. |
| 11.5 : Sam Curran to Najibullah Zadran, WIDE! Sam Curran bangs in a bouncer but down the leg side, Najibullah Zadran misses his hook shot. Wided. |
| Sam Curran to Najibullah Zadran, On a length and on middle, Najibullah Zadran dabs it to the off side and sets off for the run, but is sent back and rightly so. |
| 11.6 : Sam Curran to Najibullah Zadran, Curran bowls this back of a length and around off, Najibullah Zadran guides it towards point. |
| 12.1 : Adil Rashid to Usman Ghani, Quicker, shorter and on off, Usman Ghani punches it off his back foot towards cover-point for a single. |
| 12.2 : Adil Rashid to Najibullah Zadran, Tossed up, on middle, turning in, Najibullah Zadran tucks it towards short fine leg for a run. |
| 12.3 : Adil Rashid to Usman Ghani, Floated, short and on middle and leg, Usman Ghani chips it past the bowler for one more. |
| 12.4 : Adil Rashid to Najibullah Zadran, SIX! Zadran showing intent here! Rashid bowls the googly, full and on off, Najibullah Zadran picks this one and smokes it over the long off fence for a biggie. |
| 12.5 : Adil Rashid to Najibullah Zadran, Shortish and outside off, Najibullah Zadran cuts is hard towards deep point and comes back for the second run. Good running! |
| 12.6 : Adil Rashid to Najibullah Zadran, Short again and on off, Najibullah Zadran moves on his back foot and punches it wide of long off for a couple of runs. 13 runs from the over! |
| 13.1 : Mark Wood to Usman Ghani, Wood serves this full and on middle, Usman Ghani works it towards mid on and calls for the run, but Zadran refuses. |
| 0.0 : Mark Wood (2-0-11-1) is brought back into the attack. |
| 13.2 : Mark Wood to Usman Ghani, Overthrows! This is on a length and on off, Usman Ghani pushes it towards deep point for a single. However, Liam Livingstone throws it wildly at the keeper's end and Jos Buttler misses it. The batters get an extra run. Good running again! |
| 13.3 : Mark Wood to Usman Ghani, Wood bowls this on a hard length and on off, Usman Ghani gets hurried but manages to steer it through point for a single. |
| 13.4 : Mark Wood to Najibullah Zadran, Length again and on off, Najibullah Zadran knocks it to the off side. |
| 13.5 : Mark Wood to Najibullah Zadran, Back of a length and on middle, Najibullah Zadran dabs it to the leg side and gets across for a quick single. |
| 13.6 : Mark Wood to Usman Ghani, Fiery from Wood! He bangs in a bouncer at 146 KPH, on middle, Usman Ghani does well to duck underneath it. |
| Ben Stokes (3-0-12-1) is back on to finish his spell. |
| 14.1 : The skipper, Mohammad Nabi walks out to bat now. |
| Ben Stokes to Najibullah Zadran, OUT! TAKEN! Another brilliant catch and this time it is Adil Rashid! Change of pace again does the trick for England. Ben Stokes bowls this full and on the leg stump line, slower too, Najibullah Zadran looks to slog it away but gets through his shot early and the ball goes high in the air behind the mid on region. Adil Rashid keeps his eyes on the ball and takes a spelndid catch running backwards and diving at the end. Afghanistan lose their fourth wic |
| 14.2 : Ben Stokes to Mohammad Nabi, BEATEN! Lovely line and length from Stokes. This is in the channel around off and just straightens off the deck. Nabi looks to defend but the ball whizzes past the outside edge. |
| 14.3 : Ben Stokes to Mohammad Nabi, Back of a length and on the body, Nabi hops and dabs it down towards backward square leg for a run. |
| 14.4 : Ben Stokes to Usman Ghani, Another slower delivery, full and around middle, Usman Ghani manages to block it out. |
| 14.5 : Ben Stokes to Usman Ghani, FOUR! Up and over! Banged in short and over middle stump, Usman Ghani gets in a good position and takes it on. Ghani pulls it over the fielder at at deep square leg who is a fair bit inside the ropes and finds the fence. |
| 14.6 : Ben Stokes to Usman Ghani, Ben Stokes with another short delivery, on middle, Usman Ghani pulls it wide of fine leg for a brace. |
| 15.1 : Mark Wood to Mohammad Nabi, Pacy delivery, at 152 clicks and on a hard length around off. Mohammad Nabi looks to have a swipe across the line but misses. |
| 15.2 : Mark Wood to Mohammad Nabi, Wood bowls this one at 153 clicks now and angles it into the body. Mohammad Nabi stays back and manages to nudges it towards mid-wicket. The batters do well to race back for the second. |
| 15.3 : Mark Wood to Mohammad Nabi, OUT! TAKEN! Jos Buttler with a sensational take and the catching has been simply top class from England in this game. This is served shorter and at 146 clicks, just angling down leg. Mohammad Nabi gets a bit cramped for room and doesn't quite manage to get out of the way. The ball kisses Nabi's gloves and flies. Buttler springs full stretch to his left and grabs it his with left hand. Wood gets his second wicket and Nabi departs early as well. |
| Azmatullah Omarzai is the next man in for Afghanistan. |
| 15.4 : Mark Wood to Azmatullah Omarzai, FOUR! A brilliant way to get off the mark! Full and straight, Azmatullah Omarzai just presents the full face of the bat and punches it back past the bowler. Adil Rashid from mid on gives chase but the ball trickles away into the fence. |
| 15.5 : Mark Wood to Azmatullah Omarzai, A tad shorter and over middle, Omarzai keeps it down on the leg side and collects a single. |
| 15.6 : Mark Wood to Usman Ghani, Ghani tries to back away but Wood follows him with a back-of-a-length delivery at 148 clicks. Ghani manages to play it towards third man for a single. End of a fiery spell from Wood as he ends with figures of, 4-0-21-2! |
| Adil Rashid (3-0-25-0)Â to bowl out now. |
| 16.1 : Adil Rashid to Usman Ghani, Leg bye! Usman Ghani tries to skip down the track but Adil Rashid spears this one in at the toes. The ball goes off the pads and towards short fine leg as the batters get a leg bye. |
| 16.2 : Adil Rashid to Azmatullah Omarzai, Fuller and around off, eased away towards cover for a run. |
| 16.3 : Adil Rashid to Usman Ghani, This is shorter and over middle stump, Usman Ghani pulls it off the back foot towards wide long on for one more. |
| 16.4 : Adil Rashid to Azmatullah Omarzai, Short again, this is pulled down to long on for just another single. |
| 16.5 : Adil Rashid to Usman Ghani, FOUR! Runs away! Adil Rashid drags it down outside off, Usman Ghani fetches it and just about manages to pull it over the man at short fine leg. The ball runs away into the fence. |
| 16.6 : Adil Rashid to Usman Ghani, Leg bye! Here comes the wrong 'un. This is a bit fuller and turning into the pads. Usman Ghani misses the block and the ball goes off the pads onto the off side. A leg bye is taken. |
| Sam Curran (2-0-8-1)Â comes back into the attack. |
| 17.1 : Sam Curran to Usman Ghani, This is very full and around leg stump. Usman Ghani is very deep in his crease as he looks to jam it out on the leg side. Ghani misses and gets struck on the back leg. There is a huge shout for LBW from Sam Curran but it is turned down. Curran convinces the skipper and Jos Buttler has reviewed the decision. There is no spike on UltraEdge. Ball Tracking confirms that the ball is pitching outside leg and the batters get a leg bye as well. |
| 17.2 : Sam Curran to Azmatullah Omarzai, Good length, at the stumps, this is played down to long on for a single. |
| 17.3 : Sam Curran to Usman Ghani, Curran drags back the length and bowls it slower on leg stump. Ghani looks to back away and swing at it but is beaten. |
| 17.4 : Sam Curran to Usman Ghani, Shorter and around leg stump, Usman Ghani pulls it away towards deep square leg for a single. |
| 17.5 : Sam Curran to Azmatullah Omarzai, OUT! CAUGHT! Straight to the man! Another short ball from Sam Curran and he gets his second wicket. This is served at a good height and around leg stump. Azmatullah Omarzai looks to flat-bat the pull shot but isn't able to generate enough power on it. The ball goes straight down the throat of Ben Stokes who is well inside the deep mid-wicket fence and he makes no mistake. England just keep on picking up timely wickets. |
| Rashid Khan walks out to bat now. |
| 17.6 : Sam Curran to Rashid Khan, OUT! TAKEN! Sam Curran is on a hat-trick! He gets two in two balls and sends the dangerous, Rashid Khan back to the hut. He bangs in a boucner on middle and leg, Rashid Khan gets hurried onto his pull shot and the ball takes the top edge files towards fine leg where the fielder makes Alex Hales did not have to move an inch. Afghanistan seven down now. |
| 18.1 : Chris Woakes to Usman Ghani, Short of a length and over middle and leg, this is jabbed through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 18.2 : Chris Woakes to Mujeeb Ur Rahman, OUT! CAUGHT AND BOWLED! Another one bites the dust and Afghanistan are now eight down! Chris Woakes serves it back of a length, a bit slower and at the body. Mujeeb Ur Rahman tries to back away and play at it but ends up sticking out his bat. The ball goes off the toe end and to the right of the bowler who just sticks out a right hand and grabs it. Afghanistan completely losing the plot here. Also, Fareed Ahmad comes out to bat now. |
| 18.3 : Chris Woakes to Fareed Ahmad, Fullish length, well outside off and this is left alone for the keeper to collect. |
| 18.4 : Chris Woakes to Fareed Ahmad, Good length, angling across the left-hander. Fareed Ahmad has a swing at it but misses. |
| 18.5 : Chris Woakes to Fareed Ahmad, DROPPED! For once, England drop a catch and it was a difficult chance as well. This is short and wide, Fareed Ahmad slaps it away to the right of backward point where Alex Hales dives to that side and tries to pouch it with one hand. The ball hits the palm hard and goes away towards third man. They come back for two. |
| 18.6 : Chris Woakes to Fareed Ahmad, Around the top of off, Fareed Ahmad swings at it but fails to connect. |
| 19.1 : Sam Curran to Usman Ghani, No hat-trick! Sam Curran bowls this full and close to the leg stump, Usman Ghani backs away looking to open up the off side but is well beaten. |
| 19.2 : Sam Curran to Usman Ghani, OUT! CAUGHT! Sam Curran picks up his fourth wicket after just missing out on a hat-trick. Back of a length and outside off, Usman Ghani goes after it and looks to go up and over the point fence. Ghani ends up slicing it and the ball travels flat towards the man at the backward point fence. Liam Livingstone over there takes a simple catch and England are just one wicket away from bundling out Afghanistan. |
| 0.0 : Mujeeb Ur Rahman walks out to the middle now. |
| 19.3 : Sam Curran to Fazalhaq Farooqi, Very full and close to the off stump, Fazalhaq Farooqi throws the kitchen sink at it but fails to connect. |
| 19.2 : Fazalhaq Farooqi is the last batter in for Afghanistan. |
| 19.4 : Sam Curran to Fazalhaq Farooqi, OUT! TAKEN! Take a bow, Sam Curran! This is full and outside off, Fazalhaq Farooqi makes a bit of room and looks to thrash it through covers. The ball is hit hard but comes off the outside edge and flies uppishly towards short third man. Dawid Malan over there takes a sharp catch low to his right and Curran picks up a five-wicket haul. Farooqi departs for a duck and Afghanistan get bundled out for 112! |
| Afghanistan will be disappointed with their batting effort but the lack of matches played in these conditions and against quality opposition also played a part. However, Ibrahim Zadran and Usman Ghani still managed to get some runs under their belt. They clearly lacked experience and lost too many wickets at the death. Afghanistan know that this is an under-par score and they will have to do something extraordinary to stop England which looks like an impossible task. |
| England with a clinical bowling performance. They were all over the Afghan batters right from the start. Mark Wood showed some serious pace and troubled the batters early on and then others used the change of pace deliveries to great effect. Ben Stokes and Mark Wood picked up a couple of wickets each and Chris Woakes contributed with one. However, Sam Curran stole the show with his five-wicket haul. Their batters know that this is a low score and they have a chance to finish the game early |
| Sam Curran is up for a chat. He says that at the start of the game he didn't expect to get a five-wicket haul. He then applauds the team effort and says that they used the dimensions really well. Mentions that their fielding was excellent and Livingstone's first catch in front of the Barmy Army set the tone. Adds that he is ready to bowl in all phases of the game and is happy to contribute to the team. |
| A 5-star performance from Sam Curran. He starts his World Cup with a five-wicket haul and in the process, ends up destroying the Afghanistan batting line-up. Afghanistan only managed to get to 112 runs which should be a cakewalk for this English team. |
| Right then, Afghanistan have posted a low total of 112 runs and they will need wickets up front to make a game out of this. England will be confident to chase this down and quickly. Let;s see how it unfolds. Stay tuned for the second essay. |
| ... THE RUN CHASE ... |
| We are back for the chase! |
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