T20 World Cup 2022 Points Table: Updated standings after Afghanistan vs England Match 14

Match 14 of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 saw England face Afghanistan at the Perth Stadium on Saturday. A solid all-round performance from the English side helped them beat the Afghans by five wickets to kickstart their campaign on a winning note.

Bowling first, the English side knocked over Afghanistan on 112 in 19.4 overs, with Sam Curran finishing with a fifer. The English batters then stepped up and backed up their bowlers to chase down the total with 11 balls to spare. Liam Livingstone top-scored with 29* for them.

With this win, England have opened their account in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022. They have grabbed two points to move into the second spot in Group 1. England sit below New Zealand, who have pipped them on the net run rate. The Kiwis have two points to their name and have a healthy net run rate of +4.450 as opposed to +0.620 for England.

Afghanistan have slipped to fifth position in the points table. Australia languish at the bottom of the points table after they suffered a heavy loss against New Zealand in their opening fixture. They have a net run rate of -4.450 and will have to be on their toes in their next fixture to improve it and register their first win of the competition.

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Sam Curran shines in England’s comfortable win over Afghanistan

Sam Curran in action during the England v Afghanistan game at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup (Image: Getty)

England skipper Jos Buttler won the toss and opted to bowl first. The English bowlers bowled beautifully and never allowed the Afghan batters to get away. Ibrahim Zadran (32) and Usman Ghani (30) tried to build a partnership but their departure led to their team falling apart.

Sam Curran picked up a fifer, giving away only 10 runs in 3.4 overs to help England dismiss Afghanistan on 112. Ben Stokes and Mark Wood also chipped in with a couple of scalps each.

The English batters got starts but failed to convert them into big scores. The Afghan bowlers tried hard but the total wasn’t big enough and as a result, the English batters kept cruising along despite losing wickets.

Liam Livingstone remained unbeaten on 29 off 21 balls to help his side chase down the total in 18.1 overs. Afghanistan picked up five wickets in total but were unsuccessful in defending the total.