England recovered a little bit of pride from a pitiful World Cup campaign by beating Afghanistan by nine wickets in a rain-affected Pool A match on Friday. After the rain cut Afghanistan short at 111-7 in the 37th over at Sydney Cricket Ground, England got in just in time to rapidly reach a revised target of 101. Given 25 overs, England did it in 18.1 overs. England was eliminated from quarterfinals contention on Monday in a 15-run loss to Bangladesh, and finished with a 2-4 win-loss pool record.
“All the responsibility should fall on the players. It’s our responsibility to perform as a side,” said England skipper Eoin Morgan. Afghanistan, making its World Cup debut, finished 1-5. Ian Bell scored a composed 52 not out, and combined for an opening 83-run stand with Alex Hales, who nicked Hamid Hassan (1-17) in the 14th over for 37, including two sixes. James Taylor (8 not out) finished off the chase with Bell.
Afghanistan will rue some poor fielding, which saw Hales dropped twice at backward point by Najib Zadran, blowing a chance to exploit a nervy England start.
Brief Score
Afghanistan: 111/7 (Shafiqullah 30; Jordan 2/13) lose to England: 101/1 (Bell 52, Hales 37; Hassan 1/17) by 9 wickets. (D/l method)