England sign off with victory, Pakistan eliminated

11.11.2023 - 16:50 channelnewsasia.com

KOLKATA :Current champions England ended their dismal World Cup campaign with a 93-run victory over Pakistan on Saturday, denying the 1992 champions the miracle they needed to make it to the last four of the showpiece 50-overs tournament.England had already been eliminated after six defeats in seven matches in a debacle that has prompted demands for an overhaul of their one-day squad.Electing to bat at Eden Gardens, England racked up a solid 337-9, with three of their top four batters smashing fifties in their third 300-plus total of the tournament.Jonny Bairstow (59), Joe Root (60) and Ben Stokes (84) made half-centuries in a display that left their fans wishing the batters could have produced similar efforts more often in the tournament.Pakistan were all out for 244 in the 44th over and bowed out of the tournament after their fifth loss in nine matches.New Zealand have joined India, South Africa and Australia in the semi-finals, while England have secured a place in the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan."Obviously the tournament hasn't gone to plan for us as a whole which is a real disappointment," said player-of-the-match David Willey."We have a phenomenal group of players with massive talent.

We have underperformed here which is disappointing."Malan (31) and Bairstow gave England a decent start following captain Jos Buttler's decision to bat.After the openers departed, Root and Stokes motored along even if it did not exactly rain boundaries.Pakistan's fielding was sloppy with Shaheen Afridi dropping Malan and Stokes off his own bowling, while Haris Rauf caught a skyer from Buttler only for his shoes to touch the boundary rope, thereby making it a six for England.Set a daunting target, Pakistan found themselves in the

bowling Entertainment Department victory Joe Root Jonny Bairstow Jos Buttler Shaheen Afridi Eden Gardens David Willey Australia South Africa New Zealand India Pakistan

A funny video of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan is going viral on social media. In the clip, Babar could be seen leaving his crease after a ball was delivered. Wicketkeeper Rizwan throws the ball on the stumps after collection and appeals for a run-out from the leg umpire. The follow-up sees Babar running funnily towards Rizwan in a bid to hit the wicketkeeper with his bat. As Rizwan runs behind the stumps to save himself, Babar chases the player, giving rise to a hilarious scene.

Watch: Babar Azam Tries To Hit Mohammad Rizwan With Bat In Funny Video

'Younis, Afridi, Misbah Would've Won World Cup With This Kind Of Support': Ex-Pakistan Star

Babar Azam's captaincy and Pakistan cricket team's poor show in Cricket World Cup 2023 has come under lot of scrunity. Pakistan failed to qualify for the semifinals of the tournament after finishing fifth in the points table, which led to several former cricketers demanding wholesale changes in the side, including the removal of Babar as skipper. The team, having stars like Babar, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf, suffered losses against India, Australia, South Africa, England and a shock defeat at the hands of Afghanistan.

Felt Like A "Third Wheel": England Pacer David Willey On His Retirement

An emotional David Willey has revealed that he felt like a "third wheel" in England's changing room for being the only player in their World Cup squad not having a central contract. The pacer, who is performing at his best right now and grabbed three wickets against Pakistan on Saturday, added that his retirement decision was final. Having been denied a central contract for the 2023-24 season, 'player of the match' Willey announced his retirement after reaching 100 ODI wickets.