“England in the World Cup semis” – Michael Vaughan makes bold prediction after shocking Afghanistan defeat

England suffered a shocking 69-run defeat at the hands of Afghanistan on Sunday in the ICC World Cup 2023. 

But despite the embarrassing loss, Michael Vaughan believes the Three Lions can still make it to the semi-finals of the tournament in India. 

Afghanistan posted 284 runs on the board after batting first, with Rahmanullah Gurbaz playing a blistering 80 runs knock off just 57 balls. 

The 21-year-old hit eight boundaries and four sixers before being run out in the 19th over when the team score was 123 for three. 

Ikram Alikhil completed his half-century, with Ibrahim Zadran and Mujeeb Ur Rahman also making decent contributions to help their side reach 284. 

In response, England were all bowled out for a lowly 215 with Mujeeb and Rashid Khan picking up three scalps each. 

All their big names Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler provided a disappointing batting display. Only Harry Brook seemed to keep them in the game for a while with his 66-run innings. 

In the end, Afghanistan comfortably won the contest, with the chasers falling short by an incredible 69 runs. 

However, cricket commentator Michael Vaughan made a bold prediction about the Three Lions’ chances in the ICC World Cup 2023.

He posted on X (formerly Twitter) that England will qualify for the semi-finals of the competition. 

Chances for the semis look slim 

England were regarded as one of the favourites to defend their World Cup title this year in India. 

But they have made a terrible start and all the early indications suggest they may not even make it to the semi-finals. 

New Zealand claimed an emphatic nine wickets win over the 2019 champions in their opening match in Ahmedabad. 

Devon Conway remained unbeaten on 152 as the Kiwis raced to the target of 283 with 82 balls remaining. 

The Jos Buttler-led side bounced back with an impressive 137 runs win over Bangladesh with Dawid Malan delivering a match-winning innings of 140. 

But England slumped to a humiliating loss against Afghanistan at the weekend, with the majority of their batters failing to perform. 

The 2019 champions are still without their star all-rounder Ben Stokes who was expected to return to the team but he is yet to play a match in the World Cup. 

The Three Lions will now square off with South Africa on Saturday. They will be hoping to make a comeback in the next game but considering the form of the Proteas, it will be a huge challenge for them. 

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