"Many of the players are undercooked" - Michael Atherton on England's shocking defeat to Afghanistan in the 2023 World Cup

Former England captain Michael Atherton lashed out at the players for not having enough cricketing experience, particularly the bowlers, following the Three Lions' shocking 69-run defeat to Afghanistan in Delhi on October 15.

After a crushing opening game defeat to New Zealand, the defending champions rebounded with a resounding win against Bangladesh, and normalcy seemed restored.

However, against Afghanistan, a dismal Chris Woakes, conceding 31 off his first three overs, and Sam Curran, giving away 26 off his first two overs, set the tone for what was to follow.

Afghanistan raced to 75/0 in only nine overs, with England struggling for consistency with the ball and on the field.

Speaking to Sky Sports post-game, Atherton blamed the English bowlers and fielders for letting teams get off to excellent starts.

"England haven’t bowled well enough and teams have got off to fliers against them. There are reasons. Many of the players are undercooked in terms of cricketing time, time in ODIs. But they have not hit the ground running and have made things very difficult for themselves now. I think England started badly today," he said.

"They were sloppy. Five wides to start, Curran giving away a free hit in the early overs. A misfield from Bairstow that went for four. They just looked a bit off the pace and that set the tone. They were always chasing the game from that point on," he added.

Woakes and Curran, two of England's lynchpins, have been in dismal form through this World Cup.

While Woakes has picked up only two wickets in three games at an alarming economy rate of 7.50, Curran has been even worse with the identical wickets tally but traveling at over eight runs per over.

The duo's horrendous form meant that the Jos Buttler-led side had to rely on 14 overs of part-time spin from Liam Livingstone and Joe Root, with the pair combining to concede only 52 runs and pick up two vital wickets.

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Afghanistan won only the second ODI World Cup game in their history

Mujeeb and Rashid were the stars as Afghanistan pulled off the miraculous victory.

Despite their institution to World Cup cricket in 2015, Afghanistan had won only one game in their previous 17 outings of the prestigious event.

Their lone ODI World Cup victory before the England clash came in the 2015 edition against Scotland, where they triumphed by one wicket. Although the side came close to pulling off upsets a few times since, they endured a winless 2019 campaign, losing all nine of their games.

However, against all odds, the Afghans successfully defended 284 against the much-vaunted England batting lineup, thanks to an all-round performance from their bowlers.

Mujeeb-ur-Rahman and Rashid Khan were the chief wreckers with three wickets each, while veteran off-spinner Mohammad Nabi chipped in with two vital scalps. Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazal Farooqi picked up one wicket each off the dangerous Jos Buttler and Dawid Malan.

The result vaulted Afghanistan to sixth on the points table, one spot below England, with both sides winning one game and losing two.

Afghanistan will take on New Zealand in their next outing at Chennai on Wednesday, October 18. Meanwhile, a shell-shocked English outfit will look to regroup when they face South Africa in Mumbai on Saturday.