Afghanistan defeated England by 8 runs to stay alive in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. In a thrilling match, the sub-continent team successfully defended 325 runs as the rivals were bowled out for 317 runs in Lahore. Ibrahim Zadran, who scored 177 runs off 146 balls, was named the Player of the match. He hit 12 fours and 6 sixes in his innings and scripted important stands with Hashmatullah Shahidi, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Mohammad Nabi.
On the other hand, all-rounder Omarzai scored 41 runs off 31 balls and took five wickets. Former India player Mohammad Kaif was not satisfied with POTM’s choice as he felt that Omarzai was a more deserving candidate because of his all-round performance. He was not in favor of Ibrahim Zadran.
“My Man of the Match is Azmatullah Omarzai. He took five wickets on a pitch that had nothing for the fast bowlers. England almost won the game and he proved to be the difference in the end. Omarzai also scored runs for the team. Five wickets are more important than the runs posted by Zadran,” Mohammad Kaif said on Sports18.
Wahab Riaz agreed with Kaif. “I agree with Kaif Bhai. Azmatullah Omarzai was sensational with the bat and his stand with Ibrahim Zadran was crucial for the team. He dismissed Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, Joe Root, Adil Rashid and Jamie Overton. Everyone is scoring a hundred on his Lahore pitch but it is rare that a bowler has taken five wickets. There was nothing for the fast bowlers over here as the ball was not swinging at all,” he said.
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