KOLKATA (Web Desk): 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 Fakhar Zaman inside the first three overs with just 10 runs on the board. 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. 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 scored 36 off 51 balls. Saud was then joined by Agha Salman and both added 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 cracked 45-ball 51 which featured 6 fours and a six. Pakistan’s tailenders Haris Rauf and M Wasim Jr offered notable resistance at the backend as the duo put together a 53-run partnership. Rauf dominated the entertaining 10th-wicket stand with his quickfire 35 off 23 ball while Wasim Jr struck unbeaten 16. David Willey led the bowling attack in his final ODI appearance for England with 3/56, 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. 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 Malan (31) in the 14th over. 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 7 fours and a six. Root then joined Ben Stokes to put England in a commanding position as the pair added 132 runs for the third wicket with both scoring half-centuries before both fell in quick succession, causing England to slip to 257/4 in 42.2 overs. Stokes contributed 84 off 76 balls, hitting 11 fours and two sixes while Root scored 72-ball 60. Following their departure, Jos Buttler and Harry Brook knitted a brisk 45-run partnership to take the defending champions past the 300-run mark. Brook scored 30 while Buttler struck a quick 28. Later, David Willey’s quickfire 15-run cameo bolstered England’s total to 337/9. 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. SCORES IN BRIEF ENGLAND 337-9 (Stokes 84, Root 60, Bairstow 59, Rauf 3-64) beat PAKISTAN 244 (Salman 51, Willey 3-56) by 93 runs.
English