Afghan spinners rule Kotla, defending champs shocked

Rashid, Mujeeb and Nabi share eight wickets to pull off their 2nd win in ODI World Cups, against listless England NEW DELHI: The last time England faced Afghanistan at the ODI World Cup, Eoin Morgan smashed a world record 17 sixes.

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The last time England faced Afghanistan at the ODI World Cup, Rashid Khan recorded the most expensive bowling returns in Cup history (0/110 in 9 overs).

The last time England faced Afghanistan at the ODI World Cup, they won by 150 runs and went on to win the tournament.

However, you can scratch all that out because the next time someone mentions the last time England faced Afghanistan at the ODI World Cup, the Afghans can talk about a stunning 69-run victory that will go down in history as one of the great upsets in the tournament.

It can take its rightful place among other legendary wins Ireland over Pakistan in 2007, Kenya over Sri Lanka in 2003, Zimbabwe against Australia in 1983, Kenya versus West Indies in 1996, Ireland versus England in 2011, and the biggest of them all, India over West Indies in the 1983 final. No one saw this coming, just as no one saw them coming.

Afghanistan's big challenge has always been to get enough runs on the board and when they were put in to bat first, it seemed like a familiar failing would surface again. Despite a 114-run opening stand, Hashmatullah. Shahidi's team stumbled to 190/6. The heads were shaking, the crowd was looking bored and England were strutting around on the field. Things were well under control.

That is when Ikram Alikhil, the Afghanistan wicket-keeper, played an innings of rare quality.