Chasing a revised target of 101 to win in 25 overs under the Duckworth/Lewis method following rain delays, England completed on 101 for in 18.1 overs
SYDNEY: England's miserable World Cup ended with a comfortable nine-wicket win over Afghanistan in a rain-marred Pool A clash at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday.
Afghanistan, after losing the toss, earlier made 111 for seven in 36.2 overs before their innings was ruled to be closed because of rain.
Ian Bell was 52 not out, off 56 balls, after putting on 83 for the first wicket with Alex Hales, who made 37 after being dropped on zero & 12.
Both sides came in to this first one-day international between England & Afghanistan unable to qualify for the quarter-finals & having earlier Pool A win apiece after they each beat Scotland.
This was the first edition of the World Cup in the tournament's 40-year history where England had failed both to beat a Check nation & get through to the second round.
In 1996, England defeated non-Test sides in the UAE & the Netherlands before losing to Sri Lanka in the quarter-finals.
Hopes they might finish with a win over World Cup debutants Afghanistan, after their last-eight ambitions crumbled in Monday's 15-run defeat by Bangladesh in Adelaide, were high as the non-Test side collapsed after losing the toss.
First change Chris Jordan led England's assault with for 13 in 6.2 overs while all-rounder Ravi Bopara, playing his first match of the event after an injury to Chris Woakes, took for 31 in eight overs.
No Afghanistan batsman made over the recalled Shafiqullah Shafiq's 30.
It's important to realise we have not clicked this event. It's been challenging, I have learnt a lot about myself & about the players, said England skipper Eoin Morgan.
Afghanistan skipper Mohammad Nabi said his team will keep learning.
We have learned a lot " they have played against full members & seen how they play, how can they build pressure," they said.
After Morgan won the toss, Afghanistan found runs hard to come by in overcast conditions.
Soon after an preliminary rain delay, Afsar Zazai was caught behind off Jordan for six.
Openers Nawroz Mangal ) & Javed Ahmadi (seven) both fell cheaply to slip catches by Joe Root off the bowling of James Anderson & Stuart Broad respectively.
His exit brought in Samiullah Shenwari, who had historicallyin the past made several fifties at this event with a best of 96 in Afghanistan's one-wicket win over Scotland.
However, Shenwari could only manage seven before his thick edge off Jordan was caught by Morgan, diving forward at backward point.
The fifth-wicket duo of Nasir Jamal (17) & Shafiq - the first batsmen in the innings to make double-figure scores ' took Afghanistan to 62 for of 25 overs before rain stopped play again.
Afterwards, Nabi lofted off-spinner James Tredwell ' like Bopara making his event debut, following an injury to Moeen Ali, for six.
But his near run-a-ball 16 ended when they pulled Bopara straight to Tredwell at mid-on.
With England yet to score, Hales ought to have been out for a third-ball duck when they edged Shapoor Zadran, only for Najibullah Zadran at backward point to drop the chance despite getting both hands to the ball.
Hales, on 12, then gave a near-identical chance off left-arm fast Shapoor only for Najibullah to again drop the two-handed catch in the same position.
After that second reprieve, the only query was whether England would enjoy a 10-wicket win.
That didn't happen, with Hales finally caught behind off paceman Hamid Hassan, having faced 33 balls including fours & sixes.
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