England beat Pakistan by 93 in the two teams' last match at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday (November 11). However, both the teams will be heading home after failing to secure a place in the semifinals. While the Three Lions opted to bat first and posted 337/9, Pakistan, in response, were bundled out for 244.
Ben Stokes scored 84, precisely the number of runs he had scored in the 2019 finals against New Zealand, but while that had helped the team win the World Cup, this time around it helped them set the foundation for a win which ensured they qualify for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 as they finished sevent. Other than Stokes, Jonny Bairstow made 59 off 61 while Joe Root scored 60 off 72.
David Willey Ends ODI Career On A High
Jos Butter (27 off 18) and Harry Brook (30 off 17) in the middle order and David Willey (15 off 5), playing his final ODI for England, all played useful cameos. Willey wasn't done as he returned to emerge as the pick of the bowlers, finishing with figures of 3 for 56. Adil Rashid (2/55), Moeen Ali (2/60), Gus Atkinson (2/45) and Chris Woakes (1/27) were the other wicket-takers for England.
Pakistan batters never really got going, losing wickets at regular intervals. Agha Salman ended up as the team's top run-getter in the run-chase, scoring 51 off 45 but that wasn't enough when were chasing 338 for victory. The last-wicket partnership between Mohammad Wasim (16 off 14) and Haris Rauf (35 off 23) worth 53 off 35 was the highest partnership in the innings, which tells a story in itself.
For his all-round performance, Willey was adjudged the Player Of the match. Both the teams who were picked by several cricket experts and pundits as the two sides who will reach the semis, however, will now fly back home with India and New Zealand set to meet in the first semifinal and Australia and South Africa scheduled to lock horns in the second semifinal.