T20 WC: England down fighting Afghanistan by five wickets, Curran shines with fifer

Perth [Australia], October 22 (ANI): England downed a fighting Afghanistan by five wickets in their Group 1, Super 12 match in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2022 at Perth on Saturday.
England bundled out Afghanistan for just 112, with Sam Curran (5/10) leading the bowling from the front with a landmark fifer. Chasing 113, England kept losing wickets consistently but won the match by five wickets.
With this win, England is at number 2 in points table with two points, while Afghanistan is at second last place with none.
Chasing 113 runs, England got off to a solid start. Openers Jos Buttler and Alex Hales were cautious while finding gaps.
Medium pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi gave Afghanistan a breakthrough by sending back skipper Buttler for 18 off 18 balls, with Mujeeb Ur Rahman taking a clean catch at deep square leg. England was 35/1 at this point.
At the end of powerplay, England was at 40/1, with Hales (15*) joined by left-hander Dawid Malan (1*).
The duo took England beyond the 50-run mark in 7.5 overs.
After some dropped catches, Hales ran out of luck and was dismissed by Fareed Ahmed after he was caught by Fazalhaq Farooqi at deep backward square leg for 19 off 20 balls. His scratchy knock consisted of just one six. England was 52/2.
Ben Stokes came to join Malan in the chase. At the end of 10 overs, England was at 62/2, with Stokes (1*) and Malan (13*) at the crease.
Stokes’ stumps were dislodged by skipper Mohammad Nabi, the batter was gone for just three and England was reduced to 66/3.
Mujeeb continued to put brakes on England’s run-scoring with the key wicket of Malan for 18 off 30 balls, with skipper Nabi taking a brilliant catch at cover. England was at 81/4 in 13.5 overs.
At the end of 15 overs, England was at 95/4, with Harry Brook (5*) and Liam Livingstone (22*) at the crease.
England’s chase continued to get worse, with Harry Brook being dismissed by Rashid Khan for seven off six balls. Half of England’s batting line-up was inside the crease at 97/5.
Livingstone and Moeen Ali took their side to the target safely, finishing at 113/5 in 18.1 overs, with Livingstone (29*) and Ali (8*) unbeaten.
Farooqi, Mujeeb, Rashid, Nabi and Fareed took a wicket each but they could not seal the win for their side.
Earlier, England all-rounder Sam Curran ran riot on Afghanistan’s batting, taking a five-wicket haul to bundle out the Asian team for just 112 in their Group 1, Super 12 match of ICC T20 World Cup at Perth on Saturday.
Ibrahim Zadran (32) and Usman Ghani (30) tried their level best to resist the brutal pace of English bowling, but Curran (5/10) and Ben Stokes, Mark Wood (2 wickets each) did not even give Afghanistan a chance to develop a big partnership.
Put to bat first by England, Afghanistan was off to a shaky start as wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz was dismissed for just 10 off 9 balls by pacer Mark Wood, with assistance from the keeper and skipper Jos Buttler. Afghanistan was 11/1.
Following this, Hazratullah Zazai and Ibrahim Zadran joined forces to take their side safely through the powerplay overs. Afghanistan started their innings with caution as shown by its score of 35/1 in six overs, with Zadran (16* ) and Zazai (7*) at the crease.
Immediately after the powerplay, Zazai was removed by all-rounder Ben Stokes for just 7 off 17 balls, with Liam Livingstone taking a blinder at backward point.
Zadran and Usman Ghani helped their side reach the 50-run mark in 9.3 overs. At the end of 10 overs, Afghanistan was at 55/2, with Zadran (29*) and Ghani (6*) at the crease. The team needed a partnership and some quick runs to gain some momentum.
But unfortunately, it could not happen as Zadran mistimed a hit into the skies, taken by Moeen Ali at the extra cover on delivery by Sam Curran. The batter returned to the pavilion after scoring 32 off 32 balls with three fours and a six. Afghanistan had lost their third wicket at 62 runs.
Stokes got his second wicket of the match, dismissing Najibullah Zadran for 13 off 11 balls after Adil Rashid took a brilliant catch at deep midwicket. Afghanistan lost their fourth wicket for 89 runs.
At the end of 15 overs, Afghanistan was at 89/4, with Ghani (22*) and Nabi (1*).
English pacers continued their good show in the match, with Wood sending back skipper Mohammad Nabi for just three runs. Half of Afghanistan’s batting was back in the hut for 91 runs.
Ghani and Azmatullah Omarzai helped Afghanistan cross the 100-run mark in 16.3 overs.
However, Curran continued to bamboozle Afghans with his pace, line and length, dismissing Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman for ducks. Curran had got a three-wicket haul, reducing Afghanistan to 109/7.
Afghanistan’s miseries just would not end as Chris Woakes caught and bowled Mujeeb Ur Rahman for nought.
Curran finished the match with a bang, taking a five-wicket haul to end Afghanistan’s innings at 112 in 19.4 overs, dismissing Ghani (30) and Fazalhaq Farooqi (0).
Curran finished with brilliant figures of 5/10 in 3.4 overs. Stokes (2/19) and Wood (2/23) also bowled really well. Woakes took a wicket as well.
Brief Scores: Afghanistan: 112 in 19.4 overs (Ibrahim Zadran 32, Usman Ghani 30, Sam Curran 5/10) lost to England: 113/5 in 18.1 overs (Liam Livingstone 29*, Alex Hales 19, Rashid Khan 1/17). (ANI)