Ian Bell compiled an unbeaten 52 to build on an impressive bowling display as England finished their disappointing World Cup campaign with a nine-wicket Duckworth/Lewis victory over debutants Afghanistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Chasing a revised target of 101 in 25 overs following a third stoppage for rain that lasted two hours and 15 minutes, the right-hander struck six fours in a composed 56-ball knock.
Bell shared an 83-run opening stand with Alex Hales, promoted back to the top of the order due to Moeen Ali’s injury, to set up England's second Pool A triumph that was completed with 41 deliveries to spare.
The attacking Hales, who struck three fours and two sixes, was not without his share of luck, though, Najibullah Zadran spilling two identical opportunities at point off a bemused Shapoor Zadran before edging Hamid Hassan behind to depart for 37. 
Bell carried his bat, his third half-century of the tournament ensuring his side bounced back from the disappointment of failing to qualify for the quarter-finals following Monday’s loss to Bangladesh.
England’s bowlers put their side in a strong position by making good on skipper Eoin Morgan winning the toss and opting to utilise the overcast conditions following a rainy morning.
They restricted Afghanistan to 111 for seven when the elements returned to end their innings, 36.2 overs into the reduced allocation of 45.
Bowling full line and lengths, they enticed the Afghanistan batsmen into playing outside off stump on several occasions and reaped the rewards.
James Anderson and Stuart Broad set the tone before Chris Jordan and Ravi Bopara, one of two changes to the side that lost to the Tigers, snared two victims each.
Anderson and Broad, swinging the ball with extremely attacking fields, were initially frustrated as edges failed to carry to the cordon.
Yet in the seventh over Nawroz Mangal slashed at a wide Anderson delivery and Joe Root took a high catch at slip, where the Yorkshireman also held on in the next after Javed Ahmadi drove loosely at Broad.
Following a 35-minute rain delay, Jordan made it four wickets to fall for just 17 runs when Afsar Zazai edged behind and Samiullah Shenwari, having hit his side’s first boundary in the 13th over, was held by Morgan diving forward at point.
Nasir Jamal, who took 17 balls to get off the mark and used a review to overturn a caught-behind decision off Jordan, helped Afghanistan crawl past 50 in the 21st over with an on-drive for four off Bopara.
However, after another stoppage, this time for 38 minutes, Bopara struck twice to leave Afghanistan in trouble at 93 for six.
The 29-year-old had Jamal caught behind by Jos Buttler and, after skipper Mohammad Nabi injected some aggression into Afghanistan’s innings by clubbing James Tredwell over cover for the game’s first maximum, he pulled Bopara to the spinner at mid-on.
The same pair, making their first starts in the tournament due to injuries sustained by Chris Woakes and Moeen, combined to dismiss Shafiqullah for 30, Bopara taking a fine, diving catch at deep square-leg off Tredwell.
Najibullah swept Tredwell for four and then started the batting powerplay, taken after 36 overs, by clubbing Jordan back over his head for four, the ball before the downpours returned.
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Post-match reaction
England captain Eoin Morgan said:"We've learned a lot from this tournament, sometimes it's not bad to experience some defeats so when success comes along you do relish it as a side, but it's nice to finish on a win.
"We've got a good squad of players who are here but it's important to realise we haven't clicked at this tournament and realise where we are, where we want to be and how we get there.
"Over the last couple of months we've had some good games but when we've been poor, we've been really poor. That's the difference between being consistent and churning out results, and not."
Man of the match Chris Jordan, who took 2-13, said: "Jimmy and Broady set the tone so I'm grateful to them. There was a little bit of nip and a little bit of swing, so I just tried to put it in a good area and I got my rewards."
Reflecting on the tournament as a whole, he added: "Not the best memories, given the other night, but any time you go out in an England shirt you have to enjoy the experience. Hopefully we'll be back stronger next time."
England innings
Reaction from the England camp to follow after nine-wicket (D/L) victory over Afghanistan in Sydney. #EngvAfg#CWC15
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) March 13, 2015
11.06am - RESULT! - ENGLAND WIN BY NINE WICKETS! Eng 101/1; Bell 52, Taylor 8 - Bell tucks Nabi into the leg side for a single that clinches the match.
11am - FIFTY! Bell (53b 6x4 0x6) - Bell steers Shapoor over the top of the slip cordon for four before guiding down to third man for a single to make his third half-century of the tournament.
10.44am - WICKET! Hales c Zazai b Hassan 37; Eng 83/1 - Hales nicks Hassan behind to give the Aghanistan fans something to cheer. It will only be a matter of time before England complete victory, though, with 18 runs required.
10.38am - Samiullah Shenwari is driven wide of mid-on by Bell and then slog-swept for six by Hales. England are coasting to victory here.
10.28am - Hales works Mohammad Nabi into the leg side to bring up his 50-run stand with Bell.
10.17am - Dawlat continues to bowl short and Hales cashes in, pulling for four and then top-edging for the same result next ball.
10.09am - CHANCE! - Hamid Hassan concedes just one from his opening over, beating the outside edge of Bell third ball. In the next over, Hales cuts Shapoor powerfully through the short point fielder for four more. Najibullah spills another off Hales at point, an identical chance to the first.
10am - Shapoor is bowling to Bell's strengths, pitching the ball up for the right-hander to drive over cover for two and then four. The bowler knows that and puts someone on the rope to cover.
9.52am - Ian Bell lifts Shapoor over cover before Hales hooks Dawlat Zadran for six and then toe-ends the same bowler just over mid-on. Luck is on the right-hander's side out there. Bell collects a second boundary, this time pulling Dawlat to the fence.
9.50am - CHANCE! - Alex Hales is handed a life third ball when Najibullah Zadran spills an opportunity at point off Shapoor Zadran.
Afghanistan innings
9.40am - England's run-chase will start in five minutes. With Moeen Ali injured, Alex Hales is set to partner Ian Bell at the top of the order.
England need 101 runs to win from 25 overs here in Sydney. #EngvAfg #CWC15
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) March 13, 2015
9.10am - The rain has stopped and there will be another inspection at 9.30am.
9am - END OF INNINGS! Afg 111/7; Najibullah 12, Hassan 0 - The rain continuing to fall means Afghanistan's innings is over. If they get back on, England will be batting.
New Zealand edge home by three wickets in Hamilton to maintain their 100 per cent record in Pool A.
The latest we can resume play at the @scg is 9.06pm. Rain is still coming down. #EngvAfg #CWC15
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) March 13, 2015
8.35am - Elsewhere in Pool A, are New Zealand going to suffer their first defeat of the tournament at Seddon Park in Hamilton? Bangladesh have reduced them to 249 for six after 45 overs in pursuit of 289.
Umpires about to inspect and the rain returns. Another front was due and the groundstaff are covering the pitch again.
— Matt Somerford (@somerfjord) March 13, 2015
8.08am - The rain has eased and there will be a further inspection in 22 minutes' time.
The scene @scg - rain really heavy. Prospects of further play do not look promising at the moment. #EngvAfg #CWC15 pic.twitter.com/d4TsmNGGFg
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) March 13, 2015
7.15am - RAIN STOPS PLAY (again)! - Afg 111/7; Najibullah 12, Hassan 0 - The covers are coming back on after rain arrives for a third time. After sweeping Tredwell for four, Najibullah Zadran smacks the first ball of the batting powerplay, from Jordan, over mid-on for four. The powerplay will last only four overs due to the weather.
7.06am - WICKET! Shafiqullah c Bopara b Tredwell 30; Afg 101/7 - Shafiqullah slog-sweeps Tredwell to deep square-leg where Bopara moves to his left to take a diving catch.
7.03am - Shafiqullah edges Broad through a vacant slip cordon to move Afghanistan into three figures.
6.53am - WICKET! Nabi c Tredwell b Bopara 16; Afg 93/6 - Bopara drops one short and Nabi pulls straight to Tredwell at mid-on.
6.44am - Shafiqullah shows some aggression by lifting Bopara over midwicket and, in the next over, Mohammad Nabi smashes Tredwell over cover for the game's first maximum.
6.33am - WICKET! Jamal c Buttler b Bopara 17; Afg 65/5 - Just like they did after the first stoppage, England strike. Bopara's continued probing outside off stump pays dividends when Jamal edges behind.
6.18am - Play will resume in 12 minutes and the game will be reduced to 45 overs per side.
6.12am - Away from the World Cup, Sussex have signed Sri Lanka international Mahela Jayawardene for the first half of this season's NatWest T20 Blast.
Rain has stopped play for a second time at the SCG: http://t.co/PCia5591zj #CWC15 #fireitup pic.twitter.com/y7wsFChBJJ
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) March 13, 2015
5.52am - RAIN STOPS PLAY! Afg 62/4; Jamal 16, Shafiqullah 11 - Runs are still hard to come by for Afghanistan. Morgan introduces spin for the first time today as James Tredwell is thrown the ball. The rain returns and the players leave the field.
5.38am - Jamal is finding his timing now, on-driving Bopara to the boundary to bring up Afghanistan's 50. Broad is back.
5.33am - Jamal moves to seven from 37 deliveries with a crunching drive through the covers off Jordan, who has 2-9 off six overs.
5.29am - REVIEW! - Jamal is given out caught behind down the leg side. However, the right-hander survives after opting to review the decision, with replays showing the ball failed to hit anything on the way through to Buttler.
5.16am - Elsewhere in Pool A, co-hosts New Zealand are just starting their pursuit of 289 to beat Bangladesh following a second consecutive century from Mahmudullah.
5.12am - WICKET! Shenwari c Morgan b Jordan 7; Afg 34/4 - Shenwari pushes hard at Jordan and Eoin Morgan takes a low catch at point.
5.11am - Nasir Jamal is off the mark from the 17th ball he faces. England continue to bowl probing line and lengths, and Ravi Bopara starts with a maiden.
5am - Samiullah Shenwari, Afghanistan's best batsman, crashes Anderson through the covers for his side's first boundary. The paceman then gets an official warning from umpire Bowden for running on the pitch in his followthrough.
4.55am - WICKET! Zazai c Buttler b Jordan 6; Afg 25/3 - Jordan, who started with a maiden, produces a superb delivery that Zazai edges behind to Buttler
4.46am - Anderson completes the ninth over, his fifth, before Jordan replaces Broad at the other end. No play has been lost due to the stoppage.
4.40am - The rain has stopped and the covers are off. Play is expected to continue in five minutes.
4.09am - RAIN STOPS PLAY! Afg 24/2; Zazai 5, Jamal 0 - England's charge is halted by rain and the covers come on. Anderson had just produced a jaffer that Afsar Zazai somehow missed.
Here's a look at Anderson's balls to Mangal today: http://t.co/L0MpU5ccO0 #CWC15 #fireitup pic.twitter.com/XoY7VnMHk2
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) March 13, 2015
4.01am - WICKET! Ahmadi c Root b Broad 7; Afg 20/2 - Root takes the catch again as Ahmadi drives loosely at Broad.
3.55am - WICKET! Mangal c Root b Anderson 4; Afg 17/1 - Mangal slashes a wide Anderson delivery to Root at slip. That was a good, high catch from the Yorkshireman.
3.53am - Edges are just not carrying as Broad is frustrated again, this time the ball falling short of Chris Jordan at third slip.
3.46am - Buttler goes up for a caught-behind appeal off Broad but the ball hit the pad on its way through and England opt not to review. Good decision.
3.38am - Mangal edges Stuart Broad, who started with a wide, just short of Joe Root at first slip before Javed Ahmadi slashes past the cordon. Umpire Billy Bowden goes upstairs to check a run-out appeal. Not out.
3.33am - James Anderson tempts Nawroz Mangal with a couple of awayswingers before snaking one back into the right-hander and seeing it fly past Jos Buttler for four leg-byes.
Pre-play news
3.30am - The anthems take place in the middle and we are almost ready to go!
3.20am - While we wait for the action to start, why not read England Assistant Coach Paul Farbrace's thoughts on today's game ?
England fielding coach Chris Taylor is a sub for today's game. pic.twitter.com/FtGRPhAeDa
— Matt Somerford (@somerfjord) March 13, 2015
England: Ian Bell, Alex Hales, James Taylor, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler, Ravi Bopara, Chris Jordan, Stuart Broad, James Tredwell, James Anderson.
Afghanistan: Nawroz Mangal, Javed Ahmadi, Afsar Zazai, Nasir Jamal, Samiullah Shenwari, Shafiqullah, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Dawlat Zadran, Shapoor Zadran, Hamid Hassan.
3am - TOSS - England opt to bowl. Ravi Bopara and James Tredwell make their first starts in this tournament, replacing Woakes and Moeen. Morgan will be hoping his bowlers can utilise the overcast conditions.
England warm-up and get ready for #EngvAfg #CWC15 pic.twitter.com/sSwO1vgGNS
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) March 13, 2015
2.55am - England will be forced into two changes due to injuries sustained by all-rounders Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes at the Adelaide Oval. We will have news of the toss and teams shortly.
2.50am - Eoin Morgan's side are looking to finish their Pool A campaign on a high after Monday's defeat to Bangladesh ended their hopes of progressing to the quarter-finals.
2.45am - Good morning and welcome to live coverage of England's final World Cup game against Afghanistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground, the first time these two nations have met in one-day internationals. The rain Down Under has cleared.
Good afternoon from an overcast @scg . Toss and team news coming up shortly. #EngvAfg #CWC15 pic.twitter.com/ti5m2LS0Lo
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) March 13, 2015