Aakash Chopra, former India cricketer, praised Afghanistan for knocking England out of the 2025 Champions Trophy. Despite England’s big names, they failed to deliver when it mattered. Afghanistan set a target of 326 and bowled England out for 317, winning by eight runs. Chopra shared his thoughts on his YouTube channel, ‘Aakash Chopra,’ where he lauded Afghanistan’s impressive victory on a challenging pitch.
“Team Afghanistan, what a performance! You guys are absolutely phenomenal. You’ve reached a level of excellence that’s remarkable. Each one of you is a star. You’ve played this game with limited resources, starting from refugee camps, and in such a short time, you’re making big teams bow down. You truly are giant killers,” he said (0:01).
“They beat England in the World Cup, and they’ve done it again now. On a pitch that wasn’t suited to Afghanistan’s style, where the ball wasn’t stopping or sticking, they still triumphed. England, goodbye! Big names, but no substance. That’s England for you,” Chopra added.
“We’ve spoken highly of Ibrahim Zadran many times on this show because of the way he plays the game cleanly. Scoring 177 runs, the highest ever in the history of the Champions Trophy, was no small feat. It wasn’t just a century—it was a massive 177. He led the team to 325. He almost looked like he might score 200, but even after that, he kept going, and his teammates did the same,” he said (3:00).
“Jofra Archer bowled well, but once again, England’s bowling vulnerabilities were laid bare. (Mark) Wood’s injury didn’t help, but their bowling strength just isn’t up to par. That’s why we saw Liam Livingstone bowling towards the end. He got a bit of luck with some wickets, but that’s not how you win games,” Chopra explained.
“When it was Afghanistan’s turn to bowl, Azmatullah Omarzai came in and delivered bouncers with real heart. He took five wickets. Fazalhaq Farooqi, despite being injured, bowled well. Rashid Khan picked up a wicket, and Mohammad Nabi took wickets early. They won the game, just hanging in there,” he observed.
Aakash Chopra praised Joe Root for his fighting century (120 off 111) but criticised England, mentioning players like Ben Duckett talking about beating India in the semi-finals, despite struggling in the 2025 Champions Trophy
