CNN —The pantheon of great sporting upsets gained another monument on Sunday as Afghanistan roundly defeated England by 69 runs at the ICC Cricket World Cup in Delhi, India.
It was an upset of immense proportions – Afghanistan had only ever won one World Cup match in its entire history while England is the defending world champion, still basking in the glow of a golden era that has bestowed mythical status on much of its team.
But England sputtered from the very start as some loose bowling allowed Afghanistan to build an impressive platform, putting on more than 100 runs without losing a wicket.
Defeating England following the earthquake added another dimension to Afghanistan’s historic victory, one which captain Rashid Khan hoped will give Afghans a “little bit of smile on their faces,” he said, per ESPN Cricinfo.
After already losing to New Zealand, this shock defeat leaves England in real danger of crashing out the World Cup in the group stages, giving Saturday’s game against South Africa even more importance.
Persons:
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ikram Ali Khil, Harry Brook’s, Afghanistan's, Alikhil, Money Sharma, Ur Rahman, Rashid Khan, ”
Organizations:
CNN, England, ICC Cricket, Getty, Sky Sports, ESPN, New, South, New Zealand
Locations:
Afghanistan, Delhi, India, England, Herat, New Zealand, South Africa