"Should be a case study for Babar and Rizwan" - Social media reacts as Ibrahim Zadran shatters records with brilliant ton in AFG vs ENG 2025 CT match
Afghanistan opener Ibrahim Zadran shattered records with his superlative batting performance in the side's 2025 Champions Trophy match against England in Lahore on Wednesday, February 26. After electing to bat first, the Afghans were reeling at 37/3 at one stage.
Zadran showed tremendous composure under pressure in Afghanistan's virtual knockout encounter. The right-handed batter notched up his sixth ODI hundred and became the first Afghan batter to hit a ton in the Champions Trophy.
The 23-year-old finished with a marathon knock of 177 runs off 146 deliveries, registering the highest-ever individual score in the competition's history. He bettered England's Ben Duckett, who set a new record by scoring 165 against Australia earlier in this edition.
It is worth mentioning that this is also the highest individual score by an Afghanistan batter in ODIs. Even England's ace speedster Jofra Archer was not spared by the youngster as he smashed 20 runs against the fast bowler in the 44th over.
Ibrahim Zadran earned widespread praise on social media for his stunning efforts. Here are some of the top reactions:
Several fans lauded Ibrahim Zadran for bailing his team out of trouble following an early collapse.
"After 10 overs - 39/3. After 50 overs - 325/7. Ibrahim Zadran stars in the historical comeback of Afghanistan against England. A wonderful knock with compete cricketing shots, there wasn’t only the blind slogging. Remember they appointed Younis Khan as batting consultant," wrote a fan.
"Shame on Rizwan Shame on Babar Azam Shame on Saud Shakeel Shame on PCT What a Hundred by Ibrahim Zadran. This is how you play, after losing early wickets," commented another.
"Against fiery pace of Archer and Wood, with Afghanistan struggling at 39-3, this has been a fabulous hundred by Ibrahim Zadran, always had the class and elegance, good to see its translating in numbers! A knock which should be a case study for Babar and Rizwan!," chimed in yet another.
Ibrahim Zadran's performance helped Afghanistan register an impressive 325-run total. For England, Jofra Archer and Liam Livingstone claimed three and two wickets, respectively.
"I put pressure on myself, I like that" - Ibrahim Zadran after his stellar knock against England
Ibrahim Zadran returned to Afghanistan's ODI team after almost a year. He remained on the sidelines due to an ankle injury. Speaking about his knock against England during a mid-inning interview, he stated that making a comeback after the absence wasn't easy.
He emphasized that he likes to put himself under pressure. The opener also addressed head coach Jonathan Trott's role in his performance. Zadran said:
"I'm very thankful to the almighty. It's not easy to come back to international cricket, I've just made my come back, I hadn't played ODI cricket for one year. The expectation was such, I put pressure on myself, I like that. I take time to be best version of myself, not doing anything else, keep it simple. It's all about discipline, I'll do well as long as I follow it. Trott shares his experience, he's playing a lot of cricket here. I talk to him on and off the field, I haven't got runs in the first game but had a chat with him, that helped me. He told me start well and build on that, that helped me today."
It is worth mentioning that the loser of the Afghanistan-England match will be eliminated from the race to the 2025 Champions Trophy semifinals.