England crash out of Champions Trophy after nail-biting defeat to Afghanistan

Afghanistan (325-7) beat England (317) by eight runsCaptain Buttler under severe pressure after latest loss

After their opening defeat to Australia, England convinced themselves they were unlucky; that Lahore’s lurching conditions were to blame and the signs were still good. Well, that bubble burst in dramatic fashion when their Champions Trophy hopes – and possibly Jos Buttler’s captaincy – were terminated by Afghanistan.

Though an eight-run loss settled in the final over – the first true thriller of this quickfire tournament – this was no freak result, rather a team with more bases covered out-willing and out-skilling their opponents on the day. Driven by Ibrahim Zadran’s 177 from 146 balls, Afghanistan recovered from the loss of three early wickets to post 325 for seven, before their enterprising attack turned the screw under lights.

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