'He repaid my faith': Shahidi hails Ikram Alikhil's impactful role in Afghanistan's win over England

Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi expressed satisfaction and thirst for greater success after leading his team to a historic victory over England in match number 13 of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 on Sunday in Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium. Afghanistan defeated England by 69 runs in the first significant upset of the World Cup 2023. After putting a score of 285 on the board, Afghanistan restricted England to 215 to claim their second Cricket World Cup victory, eight years after defeating Scotland in Australia.

3 things you need to know

• Afghanistan registered a win over defending champions England on Sunday
• Afghanistan won by 69 runs
• Mujeeb Ur Rahman's exceptional contribution with both bat and ball earned him the Player of the Match award

Also Read | WATCH: Afghan kid breaks down while hugging Mujeeb Ur Rahman after Afghanistan defeat England

Afghanistan staged an upset over England in ODI World Cup 2023

It has been a woeful start for England in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. The defending champions have lost two out of the three games they have played so far and a loss against the minnows in Afghanistan has put them in troubled waters. Afghanistan, on the other end, would welcome the win. The team bettered England in all departments on Sunday, and as a result, took home the 69-run win.

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Captain happy with the performance of Ikram Alikhil

Ecstatic with the win, Afghanistan captain, Shahidi, praised the importance of the opening batters in laying the groundwork for their victory. The skipper singled out Rahmanullah Gurbaz and wicket-keeper Ikram Alikhil, praising the latter for grasping the opportunity presented to him after a two-year wait.

"I'm quite happy, all the teammates are happy. This is the best win for us, the confidence will be there for the next game and I'm very proud. The openers get a lot of credit. They gave us a great start but unfortunately, we lost back-to-back wickets in the middle again, lot of credit to the openers though, especially Gurbaz. Ikram was with us for the last 2 years and didn't get a lot of chances, today I believed in him and gave him a chance and he repaid my faith," Hashmatullah Shahidi said in the post-match presentation ceremony.

In the match, Rahmanullah Gurbaz launched an onslaught at the top and scored a quickfire 80 off just 57 balls. Ikram Alikhil was second on the list to do bulk of the scoring for Afghanistan. The wicketkeeper made 57 to take Afghanistan to the par score of 285.