Former India player Aakash Chopra has applauded Afghanistan for knocking England out of the 2025 Champions Trophy. He added that the 2019 ODI World Cup champions had big names in their team but failed to deliver as well. However, Afghanistan set England a 326-run target after opting to bat first in a 2025 Champions Trophy Group B game in Lahore on Wednesday, February 26 as well. Later on, they bundled England for 317 to register an eight-run win as well.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra,’ he said, “Team Afghanistan, you beauty. Take a bow. You people are incredible. You are a different level team. All of you are superstars. You have played cricket with limited means. They started from refugee camps and are making big teams lick the dust in a very short span of time. They are a giant-killing team.”
“They beat England last time as well in the World Cup. They beat them this time too and on a pitch where the ball wasn’t stopping or getting stuck. This is not the pitch that Afghanistan likes but they still won. England, bye-bye, tata. Delulu is the only solulu for them. Big names but no performances. That’s England for you,” Chopra again added.
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Meanwhile, Aakash Chopra also applauded Ibrahim Zadran (177 runs off 146 balls) for helping Afghanistan set a challenging target for England in their 2025 Champions Trophy match as well.
“We have praised Ibrahim Zadran a lot on this show because he plays clean cricket. He scored 177 runs, the highest score in the history of the Champions Trophy. It wasn’t just a century. 177 runs is a lot. He took the team to 325. It seemed like he would score 200 as time was left but he kept hitting, and the others did that as well. Jofra Archer bowled well but England’s bowling weaknesses once again came to the fore. (Mark) Wood’s injury didn’t help but that team does not have that much bowling might and that’s why Liam Livingstone was bowling in the end. Got lucky, got wickets, but that’s not how you actually win a game,” Chopra shared.
“When it was the turn to bowl, Azmatullah Omarzai came and bowled bouncers. He is a cricketer with a big heart. He took a fifer. Fazalhaq Farooqi was on one leg at one stage but he too bowled well. Rashid Khan picked up a wicket and Mohammad Nabi picked up wickets at the start, and they won the game by the skin of their teeth,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
