England vs. Afghanistan: Winners and Losers from Cricket World Cup Match
England's straightforward win over Afghanistan may have come in a meaningless dead rubber but after several bleak weeks for Eoin Morgan's men, the victory provided a modicum of relief.
And as for Afghanistan, they came, they saw...and they beat Scotland. Hopefully the Associate nation will have learnt a lot from the experience and have improved as cricketers.
Let's take a look at the players who emerged from this far-from-captivating clash with a little credit and those who will be catching the first taxi to the airport.
Winner: Ian Bell
1 of 6
Runs: 52 not out off 56 balls
Ian Bell signed off from the World Cup with another assured fifty that means he finishes as comfortably England's top tournament run-scorer.
Of course, while the stylish innings will have had his fans purring, the lack of maximums will give the team's detractors more ammunition as to why they were embarrassingly eliminated from the competition ahead of schedule.
But, you have to do what is necessary to win the game, and Bell did exactly that with this chanceless half century from just 56 balls.
Loser: Afsar Zazai
2 of 6
Runs: Six runs off 14 balls
Unsurprisingly, Afghanistan have struggled in the 2015 World Cup, winning just one game which was against fellow minnows Scotland, and Afsar Zazai epitomised their struggle here.
The wicketkeeper-batsman scored just six runs off 14 balls to take his tournament "haul" to 36 runs from six completed innings.
Batting at various different positions in the order, including opening and at three, Afghanistan clearly needed and expected much more from one of their more talented players.
Winner: Chris Jordan
3 of 6
Contribution: two wickets for 13 off 6.2 overs
Chris Jordan made the most of Afghanistan's inexperienced batting lineup to pick up two wickets, including the opposition's star man Samiullah Shenwari.
The talented Barbadian-born has had to be patient during this tournament and will have been eager to banish memories of his tragicomic run out against Bangladesh.
But given his natural pace and aggression, it would be a surprise if the 26-year-old is cast aside in the inevitable aftermath of England's premature exit.
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Loser: Najibullah Zadran
4 of 6
Contribution: 12 not out and two dropped catches
Najib Zadran had a disappointing outing against England at the SCG, dropping Alex Hales twice at point and contributing little with the bat.
In truth, he didn't get much chance after being again asked to bat at eight, despite scoring a lively half century against New Zealand recently and picking up useful runs against Australia.
However, the fielding mishaps were his main impact on this game and enabled the opposition to win at a canter.
Winner: Alex Hales
5 of 6
Contribution: 37 runs off 33 balls
Although it was far from the likes of Chris Gayle or Brendon McCullum, Alex Hales demonstrated his ability to clear the ropes and surely booked himself a run in the side at the top of the order.
The 26-year-old's fluid striking helped England ease to their total off just 18.1 overs, and questions will be asked why he wasn't in the team at the start of the tournament.
With a new domestic season—which includes an Ashes series—about to commence, it could be a crucial year for Hales' international ambitions.
Loser: Dawlat Zadran
6 of 6
Contribution: 0 wickets for 23 runs off three overs
Dawlat Zadran had another disappointing outing and proved ineffective with the ball against the quality of Alex Hales and Ian Bell.
While his three wicketless overs went for 7.66 runs on average, he also conceded four boundaries from his 18 balls, one of which was a mighty Hales' six.
The paceman has played five games for Afghanistan at the World Cup and, despite taking six wickets, has been consistently expensive, going for 248 runs in total.
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