KOLKATA: Ben Stokes played a brisk 84-run knock before David Willey’s 3/56 as defending champions England crushed Pakistan by 93 runs in the 44th match of the ICC World Cup 2023.
Set to chase a daunting 339-run total, Pakistan’s batting lineup unfolded in the 44th over, yielding 244 in response, despite an entertaining last-wicket partnership between Haris Rauf and Mohammad Wasim Jr.
Pakistan got off to a dismal start to the pursuit as they lost both their openers Abdullah Shafique and in-form Fakhar Zaman inside the first three overs with just 10 runs on the board.
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Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan briefly anchored the run chase with a cautious 51-run partnership before the Pakistan captain fell victim to Gus Atkinson in the 14th over.
He scored 38 in 45 deliveries with the help of six boundaries.
Rizwan was then involved in a brief partnership with Saud Shakeel and took Pakistan to breach the 100-run mark before Moeen Ali castled him.
He could score 36 in 51 balls, hitting two boundaries.
Saud was then joined by Agha Salman in the middle and the pair could add 26 runs for the fifth wicket before England spinners struck in quick succession to leave Pakistan reeling at 191/9 with their mainstay Agha also walking back to the dugout.
Agha remained the top-scorer for Pakistan with a 45-ball 51 which featured six boundaries and a six.
Pakistan’s tailenders Haris Rauf and Mohammad Wasim Jr offered notable resistance at the backend as the duo put together a 53-run partnership.
Haris Rauf dominated the entertaining 10th-wicket stand with his quickfire 35. His 23-ball knock included three boundaries and as many sixes.
Wasim Jr, on the other hand, scored an unbeaten 16 in 14 balls.
David Willey led the bowling attack in his final ODI appearance for England with 3/56 in his 10 overs, followed by Adil Rashid, Atkinson and Moeen picking up two wickets each.
England’s batting lineup justified their captain Jos Buttler’s decision to bat first as they racked up a massive total on the board.
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Opening batters Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow laid a solid foundation for a big total, courtesy of a magnificent 82-run stand, which lasted when Iftikhar removed the former in the 14th over.
Malan scored 31 in 39 deliveries with the help of five boundaries.
Bairstow then stitched a brief 26-run partnership with Joe Root before Haris Rauf sent him packing in the 19th over. He scored 59 off 61 balls, hitting seven boundaries and a six.
Root then joined forces with Ben Stokes to put England in a commanding position as the pair added 132 runs for the third wicket with both scoring half-centuries.
The duo appeared to be in complete command before both fell in quick succession, causing England to slip to 257/4 in 42.2 overs.
Stokes was the core aggressor of the third-wicket stand, contributing 84 runs in 76 deliveries, laced up with 11 boundaries and two sixes while Root scored 72-ball 60 which featured four boundaries.
Following their departure, Jos Buttler and Harry Brook took the reigns of England’s batting charge and knitted a brisk 45-run partnership to take the defending champions past the 300-run mark.
Brook scored 30 in just 17 deliveries with the help of two boundaries and as many sixes while Buttler struck a quick 28. His 18-ball knock featured three boundaries and a six.
Later, David Willey’s quickfire 15-run cameo bolstered England’s total to 337/9.
The bowling all-rounder smashed two boundaries and a six amid his five-ball knock.
Haris Rauf led the bowling attack for Pakistan in their last ICC World Cup 2023 fixture with 3/64, followed by Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Wasim Jr, who took two each.
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