Ibrahim Zadran with stunning century; England one loss away from tournament exit

LAHORE: With the strength of Ibrahim Zadran's century, Afghanistan amassed a massive total against mighty England in the Champions trophy. Zadran smashed 177 runs in 146 balls while Afghanistan scored 325 runs for the loss of seven wickets in the allotted 50 overs. The 23-year-old Zadran's innings included 12 fours and six sixes. England lost their first group game to Australia at the same venue and will exit the tournament if faced with defeat today.

After winning the toss, Afghanistan went to bat first. Wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz 6(15), Sediqullah Atal 4(4) and Rahmat Shah 4(9) put up a bleak show leaving Afghanistan reeling at 37 for three. Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi's 40(67) partnership with Zadran for the fourth wicket of 103 runs revived Afghan hopes.

Mohammad Nabi smashed 40 (24) while Azmatullah Omarzai scored 41 runs giving crucial support for Zadran. Jofra Archer took three wickets for England while Liam Livingston took two wickets. Jamie Overton and Adil Rasheed took one wicket each.