Fans perform bike stunts, play with fire to celebrate Afghanistan’s win vs England in 2025 Champions Trophy [Watch]

Afghanistan cricket fans gathered in huge numbers on the streets to celebrate their team's victory against England in the 2025 Champions Trophy on Wednesday (February 26). The Hashmatullah Shahidi-led side beat England by eight runs at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore to stay alive in the semi-final race. England became the third team after Pakistan and Bangladesh to get eliminated from the tournament.

After opting to bat first, Afghanistan scored 325/7, riding on opener Ibrahim Zadran's magnificent knock of 177 (146). Azmatullah Omarzai (5/58) then helped the Asian team overcome the valiant effort of England batter Joe Root (120) in the second innings to secure a narrow eight-run victory in a thriller.

The memorable triumph gave immense joy to the fans back home. Afghanistan fans gathered in huge numbers on the streets, performed bike stunts, and played with fire in celebration.

You can watch the celebrations in the video on X below:

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"They are a giant-killing team"- Aakash Chopra on Afghanistan after they eliminated England from 2025 Champions Trophy

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra heaped praise on the Afghanistan team after they knocked England out of the 2025 Champions Trophy with a collective performance. He termed them 'giant killers' and shed light on the difficulties they faced while growing in international cricket. In a video on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' he said:

"Team Afghanistan, you beauty. Take a bow. You people are incredible. You are a different level team. All of you are superstars. You have played cricket with limited means. They started from refugee camps and are making big teams lick the dust in a very short span of time. They are a giant-killing team. They beat England last time as well in the World Cup. They beat them this time too and on a pitch where the ball wasn't stopping or getting stuck."

He continued:

"This is not the pitch that Afghan team likes but they still won. We have praised Ibrahim Zadran a lot on this show because he plays clean cricket. He scored 177 runs, the highest score in the history of the Champions Trophy. It wasn't just a century. 177 runs is a lot. He took the team to 325. It seemed like he would score 200 as time was left but he kept hitting, and the others did that as well."

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Do you agree with Aakash Chopra's views above? Let us know your opinions on the matter in the comments section.