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England bowed out of the Cricket World Cup with a 93-run consolation win over Pakistan overnight.
England finished seventh in the 10-team table with three victories from nine games in its disappointing campaign to defend the title it won at home in 2019, but it did manage to qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Ben Stokes’ 76-ball 84 formed the foundation of England’s strong total of 9-337 as Pakistan’s slim hopes of overtaking New Zealand on net run-rate for a place in the semi-final effectively ended once Jos Buttler won the toss and elected to bat.
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Left-arm fast bowler David Willey claimed 3-56 in 10 overs in his last one-day international to leave with 100 ODI wickets as Pakistan was bowled out for 244 with another timid batting display by its top-order batters.
The last-wicket pair of Haris Rauf, who made 35, and Mohammad Wasim (16 not out) narrowed the margin of defeat with a quick-fire 53 runs before Pakistan was bowled out in 43.3 overs.
Pakistan finished fifth with eight points from four victories and five losses to edge sixth-place Afghanistan on superior net run-rate.
Australia finished third with 14 points — equal with second-place South Africa but lower on net run-rate.
The Aussies will play South Africa in the semifinals on Thursday in Kolkata. The two sides had also met in the 1999 World Cup semi-final at Edgbaston, where Australia advanced after a thrilling tied game.
Table-topper India will take on New Zealand in the first semi-final at Mumbai on Wednesday.
England capitalised on Pakistan’s pacers struggling with the new ball in the tournament as opening pair of Jonny Bairstow (59) Dawid Malan (31) laid a solid foundation of 82 runs.
Stokes and Joe Root then played with lot of freedom against both pace and spinners as they raised another impressive 132-run partnership.
Stokes could have been out early in his aggressive knock but Shaheen Afridi missed out on a return catch before the left-armer dismissed both batters in the last powerplay.
Stokes’ innings included plenty of ramp shots behind the wickets and the left-hander effectively reverse swept the spinners as he hit 11 fours and two sixes before Afridi uprooted the off stump with a brilliant delivery.
Root followed soon as Afridi induced a leading edge in his next over and Buttler’s disappointing World Cup ended without a half-century when he was run-out for 27.
Harry Brook hit a rapid 30 off 17 balls and Willey smacked two fours and a six in his five-ball knock of 15 to give England a strong finish. Afridi ended up with another expensive figures of 2-72 while Haris Rauf (3-64) and Mohammad Wasim (2-74) also went for plenty.
Willey took the game away from Pakistan by removing both openers Abdullah Shafique and Fakhar Zaman cheaply inside his first two overs. Skipper Babar Azam’s below-par tournament continued before he offered a tame catch at short mid-wicket after scoring 38 and Mohammad Rizwan was deceived by Moeen Ali’s flighted delivery and got clean bowled for 36.
Legspinner Adil Rashid (2-55) then combined well with Ali (2-60) and rattled Pakistan middle-order by getting some appreciable turn from the slow wicket and Willey had topscorer Salman Ali Agha (51) got caught at mid-on for his 100th ODI wicket.
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