ICC World Cup 2023: England end campaign with 93-run win over Pakistan, secure Champions Trophy berth
World Cup 2023, defending champions England ended their campaign on a high-note with a 93-run victory over Pakistan. The two teams clashed in the final league-stage match of the tournament, played at the Eden Gardens stadium in Kolkata. Opting to bat first, England posted a strong total of 337/9 in 50 overs.
The inning was powered by a 84-run knock from all-rounder Ben Stokes, which came off 76 balls and comprised 11 fours and 2 sixes. Top-order batters Jonny Bairstow (59) and Joe Root (60) also effectively contributed to the score. Also Read: Pakistan knocked out of semifinals race The Pakistani bowling, as seen in most part of the tournament, failed to impress.
The pacers failed to strike with the new ball, and could not control the flow of runs in the first half of the game. However, they struck wickets in the final powerplay to prevent England from crossing the 350 runs mark. Haris Rauf returned with the relatively most decent figures among the Pakistani bowlers, as picked up 3 wickets for 64 runs.
Shahin Afridi claimed 2 wickets for 72 runs, and Mohammed Wasim Jr added 2 wickets to his name while conceding 74 runs. Cumulatively, the three pacers ended up conceding 210 runs out of their 30 overs. Part-time spinner Iftikhar Ahmed again proved to be effective with the bowl, as he was the most economical with figures of 1/38 in his 7 overs.
The team's main leg spinner Shadab Khan remained wicketless as he conceded 57 runs in his 10-over spell. As the run chase began, Pakistan did not appear to be in the contest in any part of the game. They lost the first two wickets at a score of 10, with Fakhar Zaman, who played a heroic inning in the previous match against New Zealand, being dismissed for 1 run.
Read more on livemint.com
