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Afghanistan put an end to their 14-match losing streak in World Cups when they stunned defending champions England in Delhi on Sunday. England, while chasing a 285, found themselves thwarted by Afghanistan spinners, who collectively claimed eight of the 10 wickets that fell.
Also read: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, spinners script an upset for the ages for Afghans
Following their stupendous win, batting icon Sachin Tendulkar took to social media to acknowledge Afghanistan’s historic accomplishment. In his post, he also spoke about a major flaw that led to England’s failure to chase down the 285-run target.
Sachin praised Afghanistan’s spin trio consisting of Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan.
Wonderful all-round effort by Afghanistan led by a solid knock from @RGurbaz_21.
Bad day for @ECB_cricket.
Against quality spinners, you have to read them from their hand, which the England batters failed to do. They read them off the pitch instead, which I felt led to their… pic.twitter.com/O4TACfKh21
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) October 15, 2023
“Against quality spinners, you have to read them from their hand, which the England batters failed to do. They read them off the pitch instead, which I felt led to their downfall,” Sachin wrote in his post.
Despite expectations of dew on a favourable batting surface, England believed they could chase down the target without breaking a sweat.
However, Fazalhaq Farooqi set the stage for Afghanistan when he got rid of Jonny Bairstow early with a sharp inswinger. Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, who had earlier played a crucial cameo with the bat, then stepped up and picked up the key wicket of Joe Root, firmly establishing Afghanistan’s early grip on the match.
As opposed to the previous games in Delhi, this particular pitch did have assistance for the spinners and the Afghan bowlers made the most use if it with immaculate lines. The spinners found ample grip on the pitch, generating enough turn to unsettle England batters, who were clearly caught off guard by Afghanistan’s spin assault.
Former India opener Virender Sehwag too said that he was doubtful of England making it to the semifinals. He also raised concerns about Australia, who suffered defeats in both of their opening matches.
Looks like Eng and Aus are going to struggle to reach the top 4.#ENGvsAFG
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) October 15, 2023
Australia are currently facing Sri Lanka in Lucknow, with both teams looking for their first win of this year’s tournament.
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