Joe Root's century went in vain as England were knocked out by Afghanistan's thrilling Champions Trophy win in Lahore. (Reuters)England’s desperate push for a win in a high-scoring thriller in Lahore on Wednesday ended in defeat with Afghanistan stunning Jos Buttler’s men with an eight-run victory to keep themselves afloat in Group B of the Champions Trophy.Despite an impressive start with the ball where Afghanistan shrunk to 37 for three, opener Ibrahim Zadran set forth a resounding comeback for his side. Zadran clobbered a career-best 177 off 146 deliveries, his innings studded with 12 fours and six maximums as Afghanistan put on a mammoth 325 for seven on the board.England’s chase progressively stiffened with Afghanistan pegging the former world champions back with regular wickets. Even as No. 4 Joe Root put on a clinical century to keep the chase alive, the Afghan bowlers held their nerves to inflict England’s fifth successive defeat since their recent tour to India, also knocking them out of the Champions Trophy.Afghanistan. You guys rock. Kammaaal Kaardi. For England. Take playing in the Subcontinent seriously with no excuses. Only then you will be recognised as a Team that can TRAVEL #AFGvENG #ChampionsTrophy2025 pic.twitter.com/6dUYlzAVc5— Ravi Shastri (@RaviShastriOfc) February 26, 2025Following Afghanistan’s emphatic win, former India head coach Ravi Shastri took to social media to applaud the side while signalling a stern message for the Englishmen. “Afghanistan. You guys rock. Kammaaal Kaardi. For England. Take playing in the Subcontinent seriously with no excuses. Only then you will be recognised as a Team that can TRAVEL #AFGvENG #ChampionsTrophy2025,” Shastri wrote.England’s white-ball sides have been on a downhill since their T20 World Cup triumph in 2022. In the previous ODI World Cup in 2023 and last year’s T20 World Cup, England failed to go past the league stage.“Brilliant from Afghanistan .. Throughly deserved win .. England just haven’t played good enough white ball cricket for a couple of years .. this result isn’t a surprise in these conditions,” former England captain Michael Vaughan later wrote on X.© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd