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Virender Sehwag gives brutal reality check to Michael Vaughan over 'England in World Cup semis' statement
Virender Sehwag issued a noteworthy reply after Michael Vaughan backed England to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup.
Swapping places with Wasim Jaffer on social media, legendary Indian opener Virender Sehwag has taken a sly dig at former England skipper Michael Vaughan after the defending champions suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Afghanistan in the 2023 World Cup on Sunday. Minnows Afghanistan punched above their weight to record a historic win over Jos Buttler and Co. in match No.13 of the ICC World Cup at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter) after England recorded its second defeat of the ODI World Cup in India, former cricketer Vaughan issued a bold claim. “England in the World Cup semis,” Vaughan said in his post. Reacting to Vaughan's viral post on the microblogging site, legendary Indian opener Sehwag reminded the Englishman about the record of the reigning world champions in the 50-over World Cup.
“Not in 1996, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2023 . Just one in 8 attempts,” Sehwag trolled Vaughan on X. Sehwag's cheeky post has also garnered the attention of netizens on the internet. Earlier, the former India skipper claimed that England will find it difficult to seal a place in the last four of the ICC World Cup 2023. "Looks like Eng and Aus are going to struggle to reach the top 4. #ENGvsAFG," Sehwag had said. Former India opener Jaffer also teased Vaughan after England suffered a 69-run defeat to Afghanistan in the ongoing edition of the ICC World Cup.
Batting first in match No.13 of the ICC event at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Afghanistan posted a challenging total of 284 in 49.5 overs. Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz played a sublime knock of 80 off 57 balls while wicketkeeper-batter Ikram Alikhil smashed a gritty half-century (58 off 66 balls) for the Asian nation. In reply, Buttler's England folded for 215 in 40.3 overs as the defending champions recorded their first defeat to Afghanistan in the 50-over format.
For the first time in the history of the World Cup, England lost 8 of its wickets to spinners. Afghanistan's Mujeeb Ur Rahman (3) shared six wickets with superstar Rashid Khan (3) to help Hashmatullah Shahidi and Co. end their 14-game losing streak at the World Cup. Rahman, who dismissed the likes of Joe Root, Harry Brook and Chris Woakes, was named the Player of the Match.
