Star pacer Jofra Archer became the fastest to clinch 50 wickets in ODI cricket for England. The 29-year-old picked up three early wickets against Afghanistan in the ongoing Champions Trophy to name the record. He dismissed Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal and Rahmat Shah as Afghanistan were reduced to 37/3 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Notably, Archer beat the likes of James Anderson, Morne Morkel, Kagiso Rabada, Lasith Malinga and Mohammad Amir among others on the list. He is currently tied with the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal, Mitchell Johnson and a couple more as all these cricketers took 30 matches to clinch 50 ODI wickets.
Fastest to take 50 wickets in ODIs for England (by matches played):
| Player | Matches taken for 50 ODI wickets |
| Jofra Archer | 30 |
| James Anderson | 31 |
| Steve Harmison | 32 |
| Steven Finn | 33 |
| Darren Gough | 34 |
| Stuart Broad | 34 |
The Barbados-born made his ODI debut in 2019. He played a key part in helping the Three Lions win the ODI World Cup in the same year. However, due to several injuries, Archer was sidelined for multiple years. He missed the Ashes in 2023 and also the ODI World Cup in the same year.
Must-win game for Afghanistan and England
The match between Afghanistan and England is a must-win game for both teams. The Jos Buttler-led side suffered a defeat to Australia in their opening game of the campaign, while South Africa beat Afghanistan. Later, the match between South Africa and Australia was called off due to rain and for the same reason, both teams currently have three points to their name in the Champions Trophy.
Whichever team wins the contest, will also have to succeed in their final league game of the season to qualify for the semi-finals.