Kolkata, 11 November 2023: England defeated Pakistan by 93 runs in the 44th match of the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Tasked with chasing England’s target of 338, Pakistan’s batting order received its first blow during the initial part of its innings with openers Abdullah Shafique and Fakhar Zaman out in the first three overs.
Mohammad Rizwan and captain Babar Azam managed to give the team a semblance of stability making 36 off 51 and 38 off 45 respectively before losing their wickets. Saud Shakeel made a modest 29 off 37 before being dismissed by Adil Rashid while Salman Ali Agha became Pakistan's only batter to score over 50 runs in the match, making 51 off 45 balls with the help of six boundaries and one six before being caught by Ben Stokes off the bowling of David Willey.
Iftikhar Ahmed and Shadab Khan lost their wickets after making three off five and four off seven respectively. Shaheen Shah Afridi scored 25 off 23 while Haris Rauf managed a brisk 35 off 23 deliveries, stitching a 53-run partnership for the last wicket with Mohammad Wasim Jnr (16 not out, 14b, 2x4s, 1x6).
Willey claimed three wickets at the expense of 56 runs while Adil Rashid, Gus Atkinson and Moeen Ali bagged two wickets each.
Earlier, England’s opening partnership between Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow yielded 82 runs. Malan lost his wicket in the 14th over to Iftikhar Ahmed scoring 31 off 39 deliveries. Barstow ended his run at 59 off 61 with seven boundaries and one six while right-handed batter Joe Root managed to score 60 off 72 deliveries before being caught by Shadab Khan off the bowling of Shaheen Afridi.
Harry Brook managed to pull off 30 off 17 before losing his wicket to Haris Rauf. Ben Stokes delivered a commendable performance with 84 off 76 balls featuring 11 boundaries and two sixes.
Haris Rauf claimed three wickets at the expense of 64 runs. Shaheen and Wasim Jnr returned two wickets each while Iftikhar had one wicket to his name.
Pakistan end their World Cup campaign at fifth on the points table with four wins whereas England finish seventh with three wins.
Scores in brief:
England beat Pakistan by 93 runs
England 337-9, 50 overs (Ben Stokes 84, Joe Root 60, Jonny Bairstow 59; Haris Rauf 3-64, Shaheen Afridi 2-72, Mohammad Wasim Jnr 2-74)
Pakistan 244 all out, 43.3 overs (Salman Ali Agha 51, Babar Azam 38; David Willey 3-56, Gus Atkinson 2-45, Adil Rashid 2-55)
Player of the match – David Willey (England)
