ODI World Cup summary: Afghanistan achieve historic victory; Australia's hopes are on a knife's edge - Gudstory

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The 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup will be held in India and will run from October 5 to November 19. Each morning, we’ll gather the latest spoilers and news from the event and bring you the insights of our reporters on the ground.

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Main story: The Great Disruption – Afghanistan revives the World Cup by invading England

Afghanistan 284 (Gurbaz 80, Alikhil 58, Adil Rashid 3-42) beat England 215 (Brook 66, Rashid Khan 3-37, Mujib 3-51), a difference of 69 points.

Afghanistan secured the most famous scalp in their international history, and in the process delivered the first major shock of the 2023 World Cup, defeating the world champions England by 69 points on a professional training course under the floodlights of Delhi.

Their dominance began with a fearless display of power-hitting from 21-year-old Rahmanullah Gurbaz, whose 80 off 57 promised much more until he unseated him in his prime. But Ikram Alikhel led Afghanistan with a valuable half-century in their first World Cup match of the year, and they then proceeded to make the 285-run target seem as bleak and distant as England’s hopes of defending their title must now feel.

Match analysis: Forget Bazbol, this was Gorbazball

The ball slid past Mark Wood’s bat and into the stumps, and Rashid Khan stood with his arms outstretched, arching his back and facing the night sky. It was a moment to savor, one that will reverberate throughout Delhi, India and beyond: Afghanistan had not only defeated the world champions, they had crushed them.

This was the performance of a team without fear or inhibition, attacking first with the bat and then with the ball. Afghanistan had won just once in their previous 17 World Cup matches, a one-point win over Scotland eight years ago: they were a team with nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Amid political turmoil and humanitarian crises, India has become a home away from home for Afghanistan. This was the nation’s most famous sporting night, in front of more than 25,000 fans in a city with a large Afghan community. Many of them waved Afghan flags and danced along the way Afghan Jalebi Played on PA system.

England have been on the wrong side of some big upsets in ICC events, and were shocked again in this World Cup, at the hands of Afghanistan in Delhi. Which of these defeats was the most surprising? Click here to vote

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News headlines

Preview the match

Australia vs Sri Lanka, Lucknow (2pm AEDT; 8.30am GMT; 7.30pm AEST)

Even in a tournament with nine group stage matches allowing room for a slip or two, you don’t want to be 0-3 down early in the competition. But this is exactly the situation that Australia and Sri Lanka will face after their encounter in Lucknow in what is effectively a competition to maintain realistic hopes of reaching the semi-finals. It has been a difficult start for both teams, but getting two points in this match will revive the belief that they can still challenge for a top four finish.

Team news

Australia (Possible): 1 David Warner, 2 Mitchell Marsh, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Marnus Labuschagne, 5 Josh Inglis (wk), 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Marcus Stoinis, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Pat Cummins (captain), 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood

Sri Lanka (Possible): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Pereira, 3 Kusal Mendis (capt, WK), 4 Sadira Samarawickrama, 5 Sharith Asalanka, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Donith Willalage, 8 Shamika Karunaratne, 9 Mahesh Thekshana, 10 Kasun Rajitha. 11 Dilshan Madushanka

Feature: Tired and tested – Australia’s challenges in this World Cup

It’s no doubt a view influenced by recent results and the media’s tendency to look for shiny new things to talk about, but there is palpable fatigue in the Australian ODI setup. While some other teams – India, for example – have torn up their ODI mold and started over more than once over the last two World Cups, Australia continue to play the way they have always played. They have an explosive line-up supported by a pair of busy anchors, and they trust their best – which usually translates to Test – fast bowlers no matter the conditions.

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