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 an 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.

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The Pakistani bowling, as seen in most parts of the tournament, failed to impress. The pacers failed to strike with the new ball, and could not control the flow of runs for most of the inning. 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.

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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. Babar Azam (38) and Mohammed Rizwan (36) shared a 50-run partnership, which ended after the former was dismissed by Gus Atkinson in the 14th over.

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Salman Ali Agha (51) batted for a considerably long period, but Pakistan kept losing wickets constantly on the other end of the crease. The tailenders made some vital contributions with the bat – Afridi (25), Wasim (16) and Rauf (35) – allowing Pakistan to reach the total of 244.

David Willey was the most effective among the English bowlers, as he picked up 3 wickets for 56 runs. Atkinson claimed 2 wickets for 45 runs off his 8 overs. Spinners Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali picked two wickets each, while conceding 55 runs and 60 runs in their 10 overs, respectively.

With this victory, England has ended at the 7th spot of the points table. They have a total of 6 points, taking them a notch ahead of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Netherlands who are placed behind the team with 4 points each. As per the rules notified by the International Cricket Council (ICC), only the top 8 teams of this World Cup’s edition will be eligible for the Champions Trophy, scheduled to be played in Pakistan in 2025.

Meanwhile, Pakistan ended their campaign at the fifth spot, with a total of 8 points. They are tied with Afghanistan, but placed a spot higher due to a relatively better net run rate.

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Updated: 11 Nov 2023, 10:19 PM IST