Zadran, Omarzai lead Afghanistan to victory as England exit Champions Trophy
Ibrahim Zadran’s 177 and Azmatullah Omarzai’s five-wicket haul helped Afghanistan stay in contention for the semi-finals, while England’s defeat ended their chances of progressing.
Afghanistan's players celebrate after winning the match against England at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on February 26, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)
AFGHANISTAN secured an eight-run victory over England on Wednesday, knocking them out of the Champions Trophy.
Ibrahim Zadran’s 177 and Azmatullah Omarzai’s five-wicket haul helped Afghanistan stay in contention for the semi-finals, while England’s defeat ended their chances of progressing.
Batting first in Lahore, Afghanistan posted 325-7 in a must-win match. England, led by Joe Root’s 120, were bowled out for 317 in 49.5 overs.
Root’s century was not enough as England lost wickets at regular intervals, suffering their second consecutive ODI defeat to Afghanistan following their loss in the 2023 World Cup in India.
With England needing 13 off the final over and one wicket in hand, Omarzai held his nerve, conceding just four runs and dismissing Adil Rashid to secure the win.
Afghanistan’s match took place amid calls for a boycott from some British politicians due to concerns over women’s rights under Taliban rule. The team, looking to recover from their opening loss to South Africa, opted to bat first but struggled early at 37-3 in nine overs.
Zadran revived the innings, adding 103 runs for the fourth wicket with captain Hashmatullah Shahidi (40) and 111 runs for the sixth wicket with Mohammad Nabi, who scored 40 off 24 balls.
Zadran’s 146-ball knock, featuring 12 fours and six sixes, surpassed his previous best ODI score of 162.
He also set a new record for Afghanistan’s highest individual ODI score and a tournament record, surpassing Ben Duckett’s 165 against Australia.
'One of the best innings'
"I think it was one of the best ODI innings I have ever seen," Shahidi said.
England faced a setback when fast bowler Mark Wood left the field with a knee injury during his fourth over. He bowled only eight overs in total.
Chasing 326, England lost two early wickets, slipping to 30-2. Mohammad Nabi struck with his first ball, dismissing Jamie Smith for nine. Duckett and Root put on a 68-run stand to rebuild the innings, but Rashid Khan trapped Duckett lbw for 38.
Harry Brook scored 25 before falling to a caught-and-bowled dismissal by Nabi. Root, alongside captain Jos Buttler, kept England in the game with an 83-run stand.
Buttler, who was cautious early on, hit two sixes before Omarzai dismissed him for 38 off a top edge. Liam Livingstone followed soon after.
Root reached his first ODI century in nearly five years and 37 innings. Along with Jamie Overton, he kept England’s chase alive with regular boundaries. However, Omarzai removed Root, caught behind, shifting momentum back to Afghanistan.
"He played an unbelievable innings tonight. The way to handle pressure in a run-chase," Buttler said. "He needed one of the other top six batters to stay in with him and take the game deeper."
Omarzai also dismissed Overton, and despite a late effort from Jofra Archer, England became the third team eliminated from the tournament after Pakistan and Bangladesh.
INDIA's prime minister Narendra Modi is likely to travel to the UK by the end of this month for a visit that could see both sides formally sign the landmark India-UK free trade agreement and explore ways to expand bilateral ties in the defence and security sphere, diplomatic sources said.
Both sides are in the process of finalising the dates for Modi's visit to the country by the end of July or the first part of August, they said.
Earlier, there were indications that British prime minister Keir Starmer would visit India first. It is understood that Starmer may visit India later this year.
In May, India and the UK sealed the free trade agreement that is expected to benefit 99 per cent of Indian exports through tariff elimination and will make it easier for British firms to export whisky, cars and other products to India, while boosting the overall trade basket.
Along with the FTA - the biggest the UK has negotiated since leaving the European Union - the two sides also sealed a double taxation convention.
Modi had described the two pacts as a "historic milestone" to catalyse trade, investment, growth and job creation in both economies and further deepen the India-UK comprehensive strategic partnership.
The trade deal, finalised after three years of negotiations, is expected to ensure comprehensive market access for Indian goods across all sectors, and India will gain from tariff elimination on about 99 per cent of tariff lines (product categories) covering almost 100 per cent of the trade values, according to officials.
A British readout had said Indian tariffs would be slashed, locking in reductions on 90 per cent of tariff lines, with 85 per cent of these becoming fully tariff-free within a decade.
In 2023-24, India was the UK's second-largest source of investments in terms of the number of projects for the fifth consecutive year.
During Modi's visit, both sides are also expected to explore ways to expand defence and security cooperation. The two sides may also deliberate on the implementation of the Technology Security Initiative (TSI).
In July last year, India and the UK finalised the Technology Security Initiative that set out a new approach for collaboration in a range of priority sectors, including telecommunications, critical minerals, semiconductors and artificial intelligence, with a broader aim to elevate their strategic partnership to the next level.
The TSI would also provide a framework for building a broad UK-India semiconductor partnership that will leverage each other's strengths and incentives and explore mutually beneficial research and development as well as supply chain resilience, according to a statement.
It also seeks to build upon the ambitious cooperation agenda set out in the India-UK Roadmap 2030.
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Bumrah returns to bolster India's attack, Gill eyes more records, while Archer boosts England's hopes at Lord's. (Photo: Getty Images)
India levelled the series 1-1 with a 336-run win at Edgbaston
Shubman Gill has scored 585 runs in two Tests as captain
Jofra Archer set for first Test appearance since 2021; Bumrah returns for India
INDIA will look to continue their strong form when they face England in the third Test at Lord's starting Thursday. After losing the first Test at Headingley, India bounced back to level the five-match series 1-1 with a 336-run win at Edgbaston.
India are chasing just their fourth Test series win in England, and come into the Lord's Test with several key players in form.
Gill's record chase continues
Shubman Gill has made a strong start to his captaincy, scoring 585 runs in his first two Tests as skipper after taking over from Rohit Sharma. At Edgbaston, he made 269 and 161, becoming the first batter in Test history to score 250 and 150 in the same match.
Gill also made 147 in the series opener, and his form has sparked comparisons with Donald Bradman’s 974-run record in a single Test series. The record has stood for 95 years.
"You've got to give your opposition credit when it's due and for him to bang out as many runs as he has done in this game has been pretty special," England captain Ben Stokes said.
There is precedent for a drop in form later in the series. In 2003, South Africa’s Graeme Smith started with two double hundreds at Edgbaston and Lord's but scored just 93 more runs in the final three matches.
Archer return boosts England hopes
Jofra Archer is expected to return for England, marking his first Test since 2021. Archer made his Test debut at Lord's in 2019, where he famously hit Steve Smith with a bouncer. His return comes after a long injury lay-off.
"He's obviously been through his injuries and his time out of Test cricket, but we all know what he's capable of achieving and we hope that when the opportunity does arrive for him, he's able to recapture and improve on what he's been able to do already," England coach Brendon McCullum said.
England's attack has struggled in this series. Chris Woakes has taken just three wickets at an average of nearly 97, despite sharing the new ball. Geoffrey Boycott recently said the 36-year-old was "past his sell-by date".
However, Woakes has a strong record at Lord's with 32 wickets in seven Tests at an average of 12.90. He also averages 42.50 with the bat at the ground.
Bumrah back for India
Jasprit Bumrah is expected to return after being rested at Edgbaston. Akash Deep, who took 10 wickets in Birmingham, is likely to retain his place. But Bumrah’s return strengthens the Indian attack.
"He (Bumrah) jogs in, you will be thinking 'this will be 70 miles an hour' and it hits you at 90," former England pacer Stuart Broad said on his For the Love of Cricket podcast.
Bumrah is yet to earn a place on the Lord's dressing room honours board. The 31-year-old will aim to change that in the third Test.
(With inputs from agencies)
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A Post Office van parked outside the venue for the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry at Aldwych House on January 11, 2024 in London.
Public inquiry finds up to 13 suicides linked to wrongful Post Office prosecutions.
Horizon IT system faults led to false accusations, financial ruin, and imprisonment.
Sir Wyn Williams says Post Office maintained a “fiction” of accurate data despite known faults.
A PUBLIC inquiry has found that up to 13 people may have taken their own lives after being wrongly accused of financial misconduct by the Post Office, in what is now described as one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British history.
The report, published on Tuesday (8), exposed the devastating impact of a faulty IT system and called for urgent compensation and sweeping reforms.
Led by Sir Wyn Williams, the public inquiry concluded that the Post Office and technology supplier Fujitsu were aware, or should have been aware, that the Horizon IT system used in branches was prone to errors.
Despite this, they insisted for years that the system was reliable, leading to the wrongful prosecution of around 1,000 subpostmasters between 2000 and 2013.
“I am satisfied from the evidence that I have heard that a number of senior, and not-so-senior employees of the Post Office knew or, at the very least should have known, that Legacy Horizon was capable of error,” Sir Wyn said. “Yet for all practical purposes, throughout the lifetime of Legacy Horizon, the Post Office maintained the fiction that its data was always accurate.”
He added, “Many thousands of people have suffered serious financial detriment. Many businesses and homes have been lost, bankruptcies have occurred, marriages and families have been wrecked. Tragically, I heard too of people whom it is said that they were driven to take their own lives.”
The report detailed how the faulty system, first rolled out in 1999, falsely showed cash shortfalls in branch accounts.
Subpostmasters were forced to pay back money they never took, faced criminal charges, and in many cases, imprisonment. The inquiry heard 17 first-hand accounts of suffering, from small financial losses to wrongful imprisonment and suicide.
Subpostmaster Martin Griffiths died after being wrongly accused of a shortfall in his accounts. After losing his job, he walked in front of a bus and died from his injuries at 59.
The inquiry found six former subpostmasters and seven others who were not postmasters had taken their own lives because of the ordeal.
At least 59 people considered suicide, and 10 attempted it, directly linking their distress to the Post Office’s actions and the faulty Horizon system, the report revealed.
Sir Wyn noted, “I received evidence from at least 59 persons who contemplated suicide at various points in time and who attributed this to their experiences with Horizon and/or the Post Office.”
According to the report, the suffering extended beyond those prosecuted. Families were torn apart, with many reporting mental health problems, relationship breakdowns, and financial ruin. Some children of affected families also suffered psychological harm, it said.
The report was scathing about the conduct of both the Post Office and Fujitsu.
It said, “A number of senior, and not-so-senior employees of the Post Office knew or, at the very least should have known, that Legacy Horizon was capable of error. Yet for all practical purposes, throughout the lifetime of Legacy Horizon, the Post Office maintained the fiction that its data was always accurate.”
Despite repeated warnings and evidence of faults, the Post Office continued to pursue subpostmasters, often after the reliability of the software had already been questioned. The inquiry described this as “wholly unacceptable behaviour” by both organisations.
Former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells, who gave evidence to the inquiry, broke down in tears recalling the case of a subpostmaster who took his own life after being accused of a £39,000 shortfall.
Public anger over the scandal grew after the ITV drama, Mr Bates vs the Post Office, aired in 2024, leading to new laws exonerating those wrongly convicted. However, the inquiry found that the process of compensation has been slow and fraught with problems.
Fujitsu's European director Paul Patterson told a parliamentary committee later that the firm, which assisted the Post Office in prosecutions using flawed data from the software, was "truly sorry" for "this appalling miscarriage of justice".
Many of those involved are still battling for compensation.
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) said last month that 7,569 claims out of the 11,208 received had now been paid, leaving 3,709 still to be settled.
Alan Bates, a former subpostmaster who led the fight for justice, has said the compensation process has "turned into quasi-kangaroo courts".
Bates, who was awarded a knighthood by King Charles for his campaign to highlight the scandal, told the Sunday Times in May the DBT "sits in judgement of the claims and alters the goal posts as and when it chooses".
Post Office minister Gareth Thomas said last month the government had made it a priority to speed up the delivery of compensation since taking office in July 2024.
The inquiry has so far held 226 days of hearings and questioned 298 witnesses. The second volume of the final report, which will examine the role of the Post Office in greater detail, is expected in due course.
In the report, Sir Wyn has called for urgent action to ensure “full and fair” compensation, including free legal advice and support for family members. He recommended that compensation should match the highest civil court awards, and that the government, Post Office, and Fujitsu should agree on a programme of restorative justice. The report also calls for a permanent public body to be set up to handle redress for people wronged by public institutions.
Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said, “I am committed to ensuring wronged subpostmasters are given full, fair, and prompt redress.”
The government has set a deadline of October 10, 2025, for written responses to the inquiry’s recommendations. By October 31, the Department for Business and Trade, Fujitsu, and the Post Office must publish a report on restorative justice plans.
The Post Office scandal has left a deep scar on British society as thousands of families across the country are awaiting justice. The inquiry’s findings and recommendations now put the onus on the government and the Post Office to finally deliver justice and closure to the thousands whose lives were shattered by the scandal.
Asian victims
Harjinder Butoy Harjinder Butoy bought the Forest Side Post Office in Sutton-in-Ashfield in 2004, investing his redundancy pay and a family loan. In 2007, an audit alleged a £200,000 shortfall. Despite a clean audit a week prior, Butoy was arrested, charged with theft, and convicted on 10 counts. He served 14 months in prison and lost his business, home, and reputation. The Post Office seized his assets, and his family faced bankruptcy. His wife and three children were forced to move in with relatives, enduring years of financial and emotional turmoil. Butoy, plagued by depression and unable to find work, saw his convictions quashed in 2021. He continues to seek justice for the ordeal, which left his family devastated and his life in ruins.
Parmod Kalia and Mahesh Kumar Kalia Parmod Kalia, a postmaster since 1990, was convicted of theft in 2001 after a Post Office investigation, receiving a six-month prison sentence. The conviction upended his family’s life: his wife and children struggled to keep their shop afloat, and his son Mahesh, then 17, was forced to abandon his dream of becoming a pharmacist to help the family. The trauma fractured relationships – Mahesh and his father were estranged for 17 years, with siblings moving away and parents separating. Kalia’s conviction was finally quashed in 2021.
Siema Kamran and Kamran Ashraf Siema Kamran and Kamran Ashraf bought a Hampstead Heath Post Office in 2001, but soon faced repeated, unexplained shortfalls. In 2003, an audit found a £25,000 deficit, leading to Siema’s suspension and both facing criminal charges. Kamran, advised to plead guilty, was sentenced to nine months in prison and ordered to pay compensation. The ordeal cost them their business, home, and community standing. Siema struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts, while Kamran developed post-traumatic stress disorder. Their marriage, though still intact, is described as “broken.” Both were ostracised in their community, and their financial losses were devastating. Kamran’s conviction was quashed in 2020, but the couple’s lives remain deeply affected.
(with inputs from agencies)
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Floral tributes left by members of the public are seen following the fatal knife attack on three young girls in July in Southport.
A PUBLIC inquiry begins on Tuesday into the murders of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event in Southport last year.
The inquiry will examine whether the attack could have been prevented and how future incidents might be avoided.
The attack took place during a summer holiday event in northern England in July, when teenager Axel Rudakubana, who had a history of violence and an interest in genocide, carried out a knife attack. Three girls were killed and 10 others injured.
The incident led to widespread shock and was followed by several days of rioting across the country.
Rudakubana, who was 17 at the time, was sentenced in January to a minimum of 52 years in prison. He pleaded guilty just before his trial was due to begin. Prosecutors said there was no clear motive, describing the attack as driven by a desire to commit mass murder.
Following his conviction, prime minister Keir Starmer ordered an inquiry after it emerged during the trial that Rudakubana had been referred to a counter-radicalisation programme three times, but no further action had been taken.
He had also been previously arrested while carrying a knife and had admitted to possessing an al Qaeda training manual as well as making the poison ricin.
Adrian Fulford, who is leading the inquiry, said in a statement: "My focus throughout this inquiry will be a thorough and forensic investigation of all the circumstances surrounding the attack and the events leading up to it."
The first part of the inquiry will examine Rudakubana’s background and his contact with public bodies. A second phase will explore the wider issue of children becoming involved in violence, which has become an increasing concern for UK authorities.
Lawyers representing the families of the three girls – Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine – said they hoped the inquiry would help bring out the facts.
"We know that nothing the inquiry reveals, or subsequently recommends will change the unimaginable loss felt by the families of Elsie, Alice and Bebe, but we all now have a responsibility to ensure that something like this never happens again," they said in a statement.
(With inputs from agencies)
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The King said the public should draw on the 'extraordinary courage and compassion' shown in response to the attacks. (Photo credit: X/@RoyalFamily)
PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer and King Charles on Monday paid tribute to the unity shown in the aftermath of the 7 July bombings in London, as the country marked 20 years since the attacks.
On 7 July 2005, four Islamist extremists carried out suicide bombings at Aldgate Station, Edgware Road, King's Cross and Tavistock Square. The attacks killed 52 people and injured hundreds more.
Events are being held across London to commemorate the anniversary. Members of the royal family are expected to join survivors and families of the victims.
The King said the public should draw on the "extraordinary courage and compassion" shown in response to the attacks.
"We remember with profound sadness the 52 innocent people who were killed in senseless acts of evil -- and the enduring grief of their loved ones," he said in a statement published by the Press Association.
"In doing so, we should also remember the countless stories of extraordinary courage and compassion that emerged from the darkness of that day.
"The selfless bravery of our emergency services, transport workers, and fellow citizens who rushed towards danger to help strangers reminds us of the very best of humanity in the face of the very worst."
‘We stood together then, and we stand together now’
Starmer said, "Those who tried to divide us failed."
"We stood together then, and we stand together now -- against hate and for the values that define us of freedom, democracy and the rule of law."
He added, "We honour the courage shown that day -- the bravery of the emergency services, the strength of survivors, and the unity of Londoners in the face of terror."
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh will attend a National Service of Commemoration at St Paul’s Cathedral. A separate service will also take place at the memorial in Hyde Park for survivors and families of the victims.
Call for unity and vigilance
Charles said, "While the horrors will never be forgotten", the country "may take comfort from the way such events rally communities together".
"It is this spirit of unity that has helped London, and our nation, to heal," he said.
"Let us therefore use this 20th anniversary to reaffirm our commitment to building a society where people of all faiths and backgrounds can live together with mutual respect and understanding."
Home secretary Yvette Cooper, speaking ahead of the anniversary, said Islamist and right-wing extremism remained the most significant threats to the UK.