England out despite 93-run win over Pakistan

KOLKATA, India (AP):

ENGLAND BOWED out of the Cricket World Cup with a 93-run consolation win over Pakistan on Saturday, and Mitchell Marsh recorded his career-best ODI score as semifinal-bound Australia beat Bangladesh by eight wickets.

England finished seventh in the 10-team table with three victories from nine games in a disappointing campaign to defend the title they won at home in 2019, but did manage to qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy.

Ben Stokes’ 76-ball 84 formed the foundation of England’s strong total of 337-9 as Pakistan’s slim hopes of overtaking New Zealand on net run-rate for a place in the semifinal effectively ended once Jos Buttler won the toss and elected to bat.

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 were bowled out for 244 with another timid batting display by their 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 were 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 semifinal at Edgbaston, where Australia advanced after a thrilling tied game.

Table-toppers India will take on New Zealand in the first semifinal at Mumbai on Wednesday.

Struggling with new ball

England capitalized on Pakistan’s pacers struggling with the new ball in the tournament as the opening pair of Jonny Bairstow (59) Dawid Malan (31) laid a solid 82-run foundation.

Stokes and Joe Root then played with a 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 leftarmer dismissed both batters in the last powerplay.

Stokes’ innings included plenty of ramp shots behind the wickets and the lefthander 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 set of expensive figures, 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’s middle-order by getting some appreciable turn from the slow wicket. Willey had topscorer Salman Ali Agha (51) got caught at mid-on for his 100th ODI wicket.

At Pune, Marsh reached 177 not out off 132 balls as Australia registered its highest successful run-chase in World Cup history.

He put on 175 runs off 135 balls for the unbeaten third wicket with Steve Smith, who scored 63 not out as Australia finished with 307-2 in 44.4 overs.

This was after Adam Zampa picked 2-32 in 10 overs to help restrict Bangladesh to 306-8.

It was Australia’s seventh straight win in the tournament. The five-time champions had started slow with losses to India and South Africa, but bounced back in style to confirm a semifinal spot.

Bangladesh are placed eighth but will qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy unless the Netherlands beats India on Sunday.