Sam Curran claims historic five-wicket haul as England win World Cup opener

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Sam Curran made England history with figures of five for 10 to help his side get off to a winning start at the T20 World Cup as they overcame Afghanistan in Perth.

Curran has developed into a reliable option at the death and his four wickets in six balls polished off Afghanistan for 112 in 19.4 overs as he became the first England bowler to claim a five-for in T20s.

England made hard work of the total, stifled by Afghanistan’s vaunted spinners, but the returning Liam Livingstone’s unbeaten 29 off 21 balls helped to secure a five-wicket win with 11 deliveries to spare.

England v Afghanistan – T20 World Cup – Optus Stadium
England players celebrate following the dismissal of Afghanistan batsman Ibrahim Zadran during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup group match in Perth (PA Wire/PA Images).

Livingstone, taking part in his first competitive match since late August after an ankle injury, also took an outstanding catch, as did Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid and Jos Buttler in a tremendous collective fielding effort from England.

Afghanistan were on 82 for three after 14 overs but collapsed dramatically, as Ben Stokes finished with two for 19 while Mark Wood also collected two wickets and averaged 92.6mph on a springy pitch with plenty of carry – the fastest four-over bowling performance in this tournament’s history.