LAHORE: Tournament debutants Afghanistan sent England packing from the Champions Trophy after opener Ibrahim Zadran’s epic 177 set up their narrow eight-run victory in a Group B thriller on Wednesday.
Zadran produced the highest score in the tournament’s history to help Afghanistan overcome Jofra Archer’s three early wickets and rack up 325-7.
Joe Root’s classy 120 kept England alive in the chase until the 46th over but Afghanistan chipped away with regular wickets, eventually bowling them out for 317 with one ball left in the innings.
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Archer produced a three-wicket burst after Shahidi elected to bat in a contest that several British politicians wanted England to boycott over the curtailment of women’s rights in Afghanistan under the Taliban’s rule.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz dragged one on to his stumps, Sediqullah Atal was trapped lbw and Rahmat Shah holed out to leave Afghanistan tottering on 37-3 in the ninth over.
Zadran combined in a 103-run stand with Shahidi (40) to prop up Afghanistan while Azmatullah Omarzai (41) and Mohammad Nabi (40) chipped in with useful cameos down the order.
Zadran needed 106 balls to bring up his sixth ODI hundred and went on to overcome England opener Ben Duckett’s 165 against Australia on Saturday as the highest individual score in the history of the tournament.
His 146-ball blitz, studded with six sixes and 12 fours, earned Zadran the player of the match award.
England looked ragged towards the end of the Afghanistan innings when misfielding and injuries to Mark Wood and Liam Livingstone compounded their problems.
Wood limped off the field after bowling eight wicketless overs but Livingstone returned to send down a tidy, two-wicket final over.
England stuttered early in their reply, losing Phil Salt and Jamie Smith inside seven overs.
Duckett (38) got a reprieve when Shahidi dropped him at mid-off but the opener could not make the most of it.
Harry Brook (25) and Buttler (38) could not convert their starts but Root scored on a run-a-ball rate despite battling cramp towards the end of his knock.
Omarzai, who finished with impressive figures of 5-58, ended Root’s classy knock when the batter fell caught behind trying to play the ramp shot.
Jamie Overton made 32 and a hobbling Wood returned to bat again but England fell agonisingly short of the target.
Afghanistan, coached by former England batter Jonathan Trott, must beat Australia on Friday to make the last four.
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