England’s chances of winning the Champions Trophy were dealt a crushing blow by a ramp shot from Joe Root that went horribly wrong against Afghanistan in Lahore. The 8-run victory means England will be eliminated from the tournament.
Root, who batted for 120 runs off just over four hours at the crease, had an opportunity to seal the win but fell to a short ball that banged into his glove, giving wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz the catch. Afghanistan’s captain, Azmatullah Omarzai, then picked up crucial wickets to reduce England’s chances.
England batted on 99 when Root attempted to take advantage of the situation, tapping the ball through square leg and taking off for a run. However, his body was clearly struggling, and he could only manage a single before being caught by long-off. The loss of Root sparked chaos in the English innings, and Afghanistan took full advantage.
Ibrahim Zadran’s record-breaking 177 runs from 146 balls had given Afghanistan a platform to chase down the target, but it was Omarzai who made the decisive blow with his fifth wicket. England’s captain Jos Buttler also fell to an error in judgment as he miscued a delivery that landed straight into deep square leg.
The turning point came when Root attempted to ramp over the wicketkeeper’s head but ended up gloving the ball, sealing his fate. Afghanistan took advantage of the situation and scored 113 runs in the last 10 overs to seal their victory.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/how-joe-root-ramp-shot-paved-way-afghanistan-thrilling-win-9858291