AFG vs ENG: Afghanistan’s star batter Ibrahim Zadran’s heroics became the talk of the town, courtesy to his magnificent knock. Notably, Afghanistan is currently locking horns for a virtual knockout match of the Champions Trophy 2025 match against England at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. After winning the toss, they chose to bat first but had a tough start. England’s fast bowler Jofra Archer troubled them early, taking three wickets in the powerplay and putting Afghanistan under pressure.
However, Ibrahim Zadran turned the game around with a magnificent century. His innings was special as he became the first Afghan player to score a hundred in the Champions Trophy.
Notably, This was not Zadran’s first historic knock, he had also scored Afghanistan’s first-ever ODI World Cup century against Australia in 2023.
ALSO READ Swinging for Laughter: Top 10 Rare and Hilarious Moments in Cricket History
Ibrahim Zadran Smashes 177 runs in AFG vs ENG in Champions Trophy 2025
Ibrahim Zadran’s brilliant knock of 177 runs off 146 balls broke Ben Duckett’s record for the highest individual score in Champions Trophy history. This was his sixth ODI century, making him Afghanistan’s joint second-highest century scorer, along with Mohammad Shahzad. Only Rahmanullah Gurbaz is ahead with seven ODI centuries.
His ton was also the 10th century in the Champions Trophy 2025, as he equaled the record for the most hundreds in a single edition. However, with seven more games left in the tournament, this record is likely to be broken soon.
Ibrahim Zadran first built a crucial 103-run partnership with captain Hashmatullah Shahidi to stabilize the innings. Later, he added 81 runs with Azmatullah Omarzai, helping Afghanistan post a strong total of 325-7 in 50 overs.
ALSO READ Champions Trophy 2025 Schedule, Details, Venues, Groups, Bracket & more
‘When I got my century, I thanked Rashid’ – Ibrahim Zadran
After his fiery performance against England, Ibrahim Zadran reflected on his knock and thanked Rashid Khan for having a chat with him prior to the game.
“It’s not easy to come back to international cricket, I have come back to international cricket after 7 months but I haven’t played ODI cricket since the last 1 year. The expectations were there for me and I played well. I put myself under pressure and I enjoyed this innings. I tried to take my time, I worked on my basics, I don’t want to think anything extra. I try to be disciplined. Whenever you cross 40, you have to go for 60-70 and then you are not going to miss. I was thinking about that and I brought it into this game. Before the game, I had a chat with Rashid and whenever I chat with him, I score runs. When I got my century, I thanked Rashid”, Zadran said.
With this total on the board, Afghanistan now looks to defend their score and keep their chances alive in the tournament.
