Praising Afghanistan for their huge victory over England in the Champions Trophy on Thursday, batting icon Sachin Tendulkar said that given their regularity, these wins for the team cannot be termed surprises any longer.
Star opener Ibrahim Zadran’s outstanding knock on Wednesday helped Afghanistan compile 325/7.
With their fearless Afghanistan winning eight runs against England, Zadran’s magnificent 177 and pacer Azmatullah Omarzai’s five-wicket haul bested Joe Root’s superb century.
On Thursday Tendulkar tweeted, “Afghanistan’s steady and continuous elevation in world cricket has been inspiring! Given their wins now, one can’t term it upsets anymore.” Once again, as the cricketing world was once more amazed,
Afghanistan’s steady and consistent rise in international cricket has been inspiring! You can’t term their wins as upsets anymore, they’ve made this a habit now.
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) February 26, 2025
A superb century by @IZadran18 and wonderful five-for by @AzmatOmarzay, sealed another memorable win for Afghanistan.… pic.twitter.com/J1MVULDtKC
Zadran, who received the Player of the Match for his record-setting knock, understood that Tendulkar had given a good reply.
Zadran tweeted on Thursday morning, “What a privilege it is to be lauded by the very gentleman who inspired generations to take up the bat.
What an honour it is to be praised by the very man who inspired generations to pick up the bat @sachin_rt
— Ibrahim Zadran (@IZadran18) February 27, 2025
Your words mean a lot to me and to cricket in Afghanistan. Thank you, sir. https://t.co/QHTsrmc8Ob
With their 103-run fourth-wicket partnership with Hashmatullah Shahidi (40, 67b, 3×4) and their 72-run fifth-wicket one with Omarzai (41, 31b), Zadran received strong support from captain, Hashmatullah Shahidi.
Zadran later plundered 111 runs for the sixth wicket with Mohammad Nabi (40, 24b), driving England into the wringer.
Zadran began the repair work somewhat guardedly in company of Shahidi after a sluggish beginning ran
But once Zadran scored 50 off 65 balls, he opened up more and struck Jamie Overton twice to show the change of pace.
As England experienced the heat of double-barrel shooting, Zadran thrived in Omarzai’s group.
