Ibrahim Zadran Surpasses Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly To Become First Player Ever To...
Opener Ibrahim Zadran struck a Champions Trophy record of 177 to lift Afghanistan from an early wobble to 325-7 against England in a group match in Lahore on Wednesday. The Group B clash at the Gaddafi Stadium is effectively a knockout with the losing team out of the semi-final race of the 50-over tournament. Playing under the cloud of boycott calls from some British politicians over the plight of women in the Taliban-ruled nation, Afghanistan elected to bat in a bid to bounce back from their opening loss. But they soon slipped to 37-3 inside nine overs before Zadran pulled the innings together with a fourth-wicket partnership of 103 with skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi, who made 40. Zadran later added 111 for the sixth wicket with Mohammad Nabi, who hit 40 in 24 balls.
