England’s unsuccessful defense of their Cricket World Cup crown ended on a high one with a 93-run triumph over Pakistan in Kolkata. England, who won the toss and opted to bat first, reached 337-9 in 50 overs, with Ben Stokes scoring the most with 84. Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow also made half-centuries. Stick to TopCricketBetting for the top cricket betting sites and all the most up-to-date news on your favorite Cricket World Cup teams!
Quick Recap: England vs Pakistan
As England’s spinners took over, Pakistan’s run chase got off to a terrible start after David Willey, within his final ODI appearance, knocked both openers in the first three overs and Gus Atkinson bowled skipper Babar Azam.
After being reduced to 150-7 thanks to the efforts of Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali, Pakistan were eventually bowled for 244 in the 44th over, with a half-century from Salman Agha and subsequent attacking cameos from the tail merely prolonging the inevitable.
A Beautiful Send-Off by England
With the openers initially unable to adapt to the swinging new ball and the slow surface, England were lucky to witness Shaheen Afridi waste a tough caught and bowled chance from Dawid Malan when he still had to score.
Haris Rauf was inconsistent at the other end as England ultimately surged to 72 without loss after 10 overs, their greatest powerplay of the tournament, with Malan hitting 31 before top-edging an attempt at reverse scoop off Iftikhar Ahmed and earning a low catch from Mohammad Rizwan.
Bairstow scored 59 off 52 balls before being caught by Agha at cover off Rauf. This left England at 108-2, but Stokes and Root put on a huge third-wicket stand to put Jos Buttler’s team on top. After reaching his most recent 50, Stokes accelerated and hit an amazing switch-handed six in between two boundaries. However, he appeared to be in pain toward the end of his innings and was bowled by a magnificent Afridi yorker.
After Root became the first English hitter to score 1,000 runs in a World Cup, Afridi removed him in the next over. Buttler, batting at number five, and Harry Brook kept the momentum going with a quick 46 runs until Brook was caught at mid-off for 30.
Outstanding Googly by Adil Rashid
England’s captain, Rashid Buttler, was on 27 when he was run out by a stunning throw as he tried to reach the non-striker’s end. Buttler had already survived two enormous scares when a delivery rolled down his stumps and Rauf jumped across the boundary rope.
After being struck for four boundaries in his previous three deliveries, Mohammad Wasim bowled Moeen to close the innings, and Gus Atkinson was run out for a duck before Rashid survived the hat-trick ball.
After Willey trapped Abdullah Shafique lbw with the first delivery of Pakistan’s reply and Fakhar Zaman hit Stokes to mid-off for 10, Pakistan’s run chase remained steady thanks to a 51-run third-wicket stand from Babar and Rizwan.
Pakistan were reduced to 129-5 as Babar dragged a short delivery from Atkinson straight to Rashid, Rizwan was bowled by Moeen, and Saud Shakeel was bowled around his legs by a brilliant googly from Rashid.
Player of the Match: David Willey
With a target of 338, Pakistan were knocked out for 244, and David Willey concluded his international career with 100 ODI wickets. Willey, who had said he would step away from international cricket after the World Cup, dismissed Pakistan openers Abdullah Shafique and Fakhar Zaman before bowling Agha Salman for 51 to complete with 3-56.
Score: England v Pakistan
| England | 337/9 | 50 overs |
| Pakistan | 244 | 43.3 overs |
| England won by 93 runs | ||
Victory for England moves them to six points and ensures them the top-eight finish necessary to be eligible for the next edition of the Champions Trophy in 2025, whereas Pakistan’s loss mathematically ruined their modest ambitions of making the World Cup semi-finals.
Group play concludes on Sunday with hosts and undefeated India taking on the Western Netherlands, who are in last place. India will play fourth-place New Zealand in Mumbai on Wednesday, and Australia will play South Africa the following day in the other semi-final. England, who were ousted from the competition, will play a three-match ODI series (from December 3) and a five-match T20 series (beginning December 12) in the West Indies next month. Until then, our top cricket betting sites will make your betting experience more exciting and memorable! Place your wagers now while you can!