5 memorable moments from the England-Afghanistan match that don't fade away
England beat Afghanistan by 15 runs and kept alive their hopes of qualification for the next round. After winning the toss and electing to bat, England's batsmen got off to the worst possible start as they lost four wickets inside the powerplay and before long were reduced to 85/7.
But, a partnership between Moeen Ali and David Willey helped them post a respectable total on a pitch that was gripping and offering slow turn. In response, Afghanistan, who were heavily reliant on Mohammad Shahzad to get them off to a good start, lost their way once the wicketkeeper fell and it was only a matter of time before they lost.
There were several unforgettable moments throughout the match that don’t fade away, quite like the Axe Signature line of body perfumes. Here are 5 moments which will remain in the fans' memories for a long time:
1. Root’s run out
Two wickets had already fallen off the over, off successive deliveries as well, but Mohammad Nabi wasn't done there. Arguably the most crucial wicket was the last to arrive as Joe Root was runout after setting off for a nonexistent single. Ben Stokes clipped it into the leg side but Root set off for a single and the throw was to the bowler's end and he was short.
While that is the long and short of what happened, it wasn't all so simple. In fact, it was complete chaos as Nabi broke the stumps first without the ball but then had the presence of mind to uproot the stump with the ball still in his hand. Root was so far down the track that he had time for that and eventually his smart thinking paid off as England's top runscorer in the tournament was dismissed.