"I texted him, and he genuinely broke down in tears": Former England cricketer emotional as Afghanistan eliminates them from the Champions Trophy

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Neil Fairbrother in Tears as Afghanistan Knocks England Out of ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Former England cricketer Neil Fairbrother broke down in tears after Afghanistan eliminated England from the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. In a virtual knockout match held in Lahore on Wednesday, Afghanistan secured a thrilling eight-run victory, marking their second win over England in an ICC 50-over tournament.

Following the match, legendary Pakistan cricketer Wasim Akram messaged Fairbrother, who responded, "I wept." Akram later shared that he had to console his "good friend," reminding him that it was just a game and that an Afghanistan victory in Pakistani conditions was always a strong possibility.

"The way England has been playing, their cricket-loving fans must be quite upset. I messaged my dear friend Neil Fairbrother, and he told me, 'I wept.' I told him, 'Hang on, buddy, it's just a game, and this result was always on the cards,'" Akram said on Ten Sports' show Dressing Room.

Akram and Fairbrother have a long-standing friendship, having played together for Lancashire in English county cricket. Fairbrother, a stylish left-handed batter, represented England in 10 Tests and 75 ODIs. At the domestic level, he was a prolific performer, amassing over 20,000 runs, including 47 centuries, in 366 first-class matches.

Akram also criticized England’s squad selection, questioning their balance between batters and bowlers. "If you look at the England squad, they have three specialist batters and eight specialist bowlers, yet they still lacked a proper fifth bowling option. Joe Root was bowling—can someone explain why they picked a squad overloaded with bowlers?" the former Pakistan captain remarked.

Buttler to Review Captaincy After England’s Exit

England, apart from Joe Root’s brilliant century, fell short in their chase of 326, getting bowled out for 317. Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran starred with a stunning 177, while pacer Azmatullah Omarzai took a five-wicket haul to seal England’s fate.

Reflecting on the defeat, England captain Jos Buttler hinted at re-evaluating his leadership role. "I don’t want to make any emotional statements right now. But for myself and the other senior players, we need to consider all possibilities," Buttler said in the post-match presentation.

This marks England’s third consecutive failed ICC campaign under Buttler’s captaincy, following disappointing exits from the 2023 ODI World Cup in India and the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Americas. Notably, England had also suffered a crushing 69-run loss to Afghanistan in the group stage of the 2023 World Cup in New Delhi.

"It’s really disappointing. We had our chances, but unfortunately, we ended up on the wrong side of another fantastic game of cricket," Buttler added. England remained in contention until the 48th over when Jamie Overton’s late surge came to an end, sealing Afghanistan’s historic victory.