‘Zad’s’ your lot, folks, as England exit the Champions Trophy

Zadran, who comes from the city of Khost, the largest in the south-eastern part of his country, made 177 from 146 balls with 12 fours and six sixes.

It was the highest score for Afghanistan in one-day internationals (beating his own 162 against Sri Lanka at Pallekele in 2022), the highest in the history of the Champions Trophy (eclipsing Ben Duckett’s 165 against Australia before Inglis stole the show), and the fourth-highest ODI score against England, behind only unbeaten 189s by Viv Richards and Martin Guptill and an unbeaten 181 by Ross Taylor.

More importantly, it helped to inspire an eight-run win that kept Afghanistan in the competition and rendered England’s final game, against South Africa in Karachi on Saturday, of interest only to opponents who can still reach the semis.

England’s sixth successive ODI defeat - and 12th in 16 since the last World Cup – piled the pressure on captain Jos Buttler, who cut a disconsolate figure, along with his players.

It has been an unhappy start, too, for Brendon McCullum as multi-format head coach, a man whose laid-back, let’s-all-have-a-round-of-golf approach just hasn’t worked.

Although this game could have gone either way, with the result in doubt right until the last, the bottom line was that they were dancing on the streets of Khost, Kabul and Kandahar, etc - or at least the male population were - after Afghanistan scored 325-7 from their 50 overs, England bowled out for 317 as Joe Root’s 120 (his first ODI hundred for almost six years) proved futile.

This fixture, of course, proceeded to the backdrop of political calls for England to boycott it, given the Taliban’s much-condemned treatment of women.

It is the International Cricket Council (ICC), the game’s governing body, that should have taken the lead on the issue, as opposed to any one nation, but no more toothless organisation has existed in the annals of sport and so gender apartheid was effectively condoned.

The situation is emotive and the arguments complex, but perhaps a particular chance has been missed to take a game-wide stand.

The Champions Trophy, after all, is an inconsequential tournament in the grand scheme of things, lacking the prestige and profile of World Cup events, but no leaders stood up when it really mattered.

After Afghanistan also lost their opening game (to South Africa by 107 runs in Karachi), this was a knockout fixture in everything but name.

England started well, reducing the Afghans to 37-3 inside nine overs after they chose to bat on another Lahore pitch that looked chock-full of runs.

Jofra Archer did the early damage, inducing Rahmanullah Gurbaz to drag on, trapping Sediqullah Atal – who unsuccessfully reviewed – and having Rahmat Shah top-edging a pull to long-leg.

The only cloud on England’s horizon at that stage was when Mark Wood had to go off with a recurrence of his troublesome left knee; although he later returned, Wood never looked comfortable, went off again and was unable to complete his 10-over allocation.

Zadran, a 23-year-old right-hand opener, had a rebuilding job on his hands and found good support from his captain, Hashmatullah Shahidi. With busyness and skill, they shared 103 in 124 balls to put Afghanistan in a much healthier position by the time Shahidi misjudged an attempted reverse sweep against Adil Rashid and was bowled.

Zadran, who twice struck the leg-spinner for straight sixes, went to his fifty from 65 deliveries as he blended power with finesse. He needed only another 41 balls for his hundred - his sixth in ODIs in 35 innings - and is clearly a young player with tremendous talent.

Further support came from Azmatullah Omarzai, with whom Zadran shared 72, and Mohammad Nabi, with whom he combined in the highest stand of the innings (111 from 55 balls), ended when Zadran holed out on the square-leg boundary in the final over.

England shipped 113 from the last 10 overs and were quickly in trouble in reply, Phil Salt bowled swinging across the line and Jamie Smith slicing to point, two very poor shots.

Ben Duckett – badly dropped by the captain at mid-off on a day when both sides’ fielding was ragged at times – was lbw to Rashid Khan on review, but after Harry Brook and Jos Buttler fell in their prime, Root kept England alive before gloving Omarzai to the keeper.

Omarzai clinched things with his fifth wicket when Rashid picked out Zadran – who else? – at long-off, rendering cameos from Jamie Overton and Archer in vain.