England beat Afghanistan by 15 runs to keep their hopes alive in the tournament. Despite losing the match, Afghanistan had all reasons to hold their heads up for they fought with determination and vigour.
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| Moeen Ali made a vital 41*, Afghanistan v England, World T20 2016, Group 1, Delhi, March 23, 2016 ©Getty Images |
Delhi: England sealed their second win in the ICC T20 World Cup tournament. They defeated Afghanistan by 15 runs. Batting first England managed to put up a target of 143 before the inexperienced Afghanistan. Thanks to MM Ali who scored 41 on 33 deliveries with the help of four boundaries and a six.
England after their record breaking chase of 230 against South Africa in their first match, stumbled before the Afghan bowlers who bowled with great control and in lines. They were once at 57 for 6 in 9.2 overs. But MM Ali along with the tail end spoiled Afghan-hopes of a win by hitting an innings that helped England score a decent total. For Afghanistan, Nabi and Rashid Khan claimed two wickets each while Shenwari and Amir Hamza claimed one each.
Chasing a target of 143 with a required run rate of over 7 per over, Afganistan still had chances. But their top end stumbled in a similar fashion. They lost wickets in quick succession. They lost their eighth wicket when the team score was 85. But the number nine batsman Shafiqullah was not ready to give up. He added 35 in 20 balls with the help of four boundaries and two maximums. But his efforts proved insufficient to give a win to Afganistan.
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| Shafiqullah hits into the leg side, Afghanistan v England, World T20 2016, Group 1, Delhi, March 23, 2016 ©Getty Images |
For England, Willey and AU Rashid picked two wickets each while Jordan, Ali and Stokes shared one wicket each. MM Ali was declared player of the match for his fine all round performance, picking up a wicket and scoring very useful 41 runs.
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