Champions Trophy 2025: Joe Root's Brilliant Century Goes in Vain as Afghanistan Defeats England by 8 Runs

Lahore: England’s journey in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 ended in heartbreak as Afghanistan defeated them by 8 runs, knocking them out of the tournament. England’s star batter Joe Root fought till the end, scoring a brilliant century, but his valiant effort went in vain as Afghanistan pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the tournament’s history.

Afghanistan set a challenging target of 326 runs after batting first, thanks to a sensational knock by Ibrahim Zadran. The opener played one of the best innings in Afghanistan's cricket history, smashing 177 runs, which is the highest individual score in the tournament’s history.

The death overs proved to be disastrous for England. With Mark Wood walking off due to injury, England was forced to use Joe Root to bowl in the final overs, which turned out to be costly. England lost early wickets during their chase, but Root anchored the innings. However, a lack of support from the other end put too much pressure on Root. The right-hander eventually ran out of steam and was dismissed for 120 runs, which turned out to be the game-changing moment. The remaining batters failed to score the required runs, and Afghanistan secured an upset victory in their debut tournament.

Can Afghanistan Qualify for the Semifinals After Win Over England?

Afghanistan kept their semifinal hopes alive with this win. They will now face Australia in a virtual knockout match, where a victory will guarantee them a historic semifinal spot. On the other hand, England will aim to dash South Africa’s semifinal chances and end their campaign with a win.