England concluded their campaign on a positive note, securing a 93-run victory over Pakistan.

Delhi: The defending champions, England, concluded their campaign on a positive note by clinching a 93-run win against Pakistan. This triumph ensured the team’s qualification for the 2025 Champions Trophy.The two teams faced off in the last league-stage match of the tournament at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens stadium. Choosing to bat first, England set an impressive score of 337/9 in 50 overs.

 England produced a solid show after opting to bat first against Pakistan. Ben Stokes, who slammed a century in the previous encounter, continued his supreme run and chipped in with an impactful 76-ball 84 before getting to Shaheen Afridi. 

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.

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.

As the pursuit of the target commenced, Pakistan seemed to struggle in every phase of the game. The team suffered early setbacks, losing the first two wickets with just 10 runs on the board. Fakhar Zaman, who played a remarkable inning in the previous match against New Zealand, was dismissed for a mere 1 run. The partnership between Babar Azam (38) and Mohammed Rizwan (36) provided a brief respite, reaching a 50-run mark before Babar Azam was sent back to the pavilion by Gus Atkinson in the 14th over.

The tailenders made some vital contributions with the bat – Afridi (25), Wasim (16) and Rauf (35) – allowing Pakistan to reach the total of 244