- England defeated Afghanistan by five wickets in their opening Twenty20 World Cup match.
- Sam Curran starred with the ball as England bowled out Afghanistan for 112.
- Liam Livingstone played an unbeaten 29 to help England across the finish line.
England defeated Afghanistan by five wickets in their opening Twenty20 World Cup match on Saturday in Perth, thanks to Sam Curran’s stunning five-wicket haul and some spectacular fielding.
England captain Jos Buttler won the toss and chose to field, and his seam bowlers delivered for the team regarded as one of the tournament favourites.
Curran, a left-arm quick, bowled 5-10 to dismiss Afghanistan for 112 in 19.4 overs, becoming the first England bowler to take five wickets in a T20.
England, who were eliminated in the World Cup semi-finals in the United Arab Emirates last year, reached their target in 18.1 overs – but only after the Afghan bowlers proved their point by picking up five wickets.
England vs Afghanistan Full Highlights
Sam Curran starred with the ball before England defeated Afghanistan by five wickets in their T20 World Cup Group 1 match at the Optus Stadium in Perth. Chasing a target of 113, England avoided a scare as Liam Livingstone played an unbeaten cameo of 29 to take his team across the finishing line. Earlier, Sam Curran bagged a five-wicket haul as England bowled out Afghanistan for 112 in their T20 World Cup Group 1 match at the Optus Stadium in Perth. After being put into bat, Afghanistan kept on losing wickets at regular intervals. Ibrahim Zadran and Usman Ghani played cameos of 32 and 30, but a late Curran show sparked a middle-order collapse.
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The 8th ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is set to be the biggest and the best yet, with 16 teams playing 45 matches in seven Australian cities between 16 October and 13 November.
