The Afghan dream is over as England and Pakistan play out dead rubber
England 337–9. Pakistan 244 all out. England win by 93 runs.
With one day remaining of the Group stages and tomorrow’s expected annihilation of the Netherlands by the unstoppable force that is the host nation India, today was another “Super Saturday” in the 2023 Cricket World Cup and whilst Australia cantered past Bangladesh by 8 wickets in Pune, over a thousand miles away in Kolkata two of the tournaments expected Semi-Finalists limped out in the very dictionary definition of a sporting “dead rubber”. Pakistan needed a miracle of beyond biblical proportions to advance into the last 4 and as soon as England captain Jos Buttler won the toss and opted to bat first the jig was up, and England finally cashed in on a dominating first hour of play to set up a batting performance absent without leave throughout the entire tournament. 338 to win on this tricky two paced Eden Gardens wicket was always going to be an unrealistic target for Babar Azam and his Pakistan team and as the nighttime mist enveloped this storied sporting venue, they came up a creditable, if defeated, 93 runs short.
My Saturday of super sport was split in two as I watched the England innings before listening to Pakistan’s futile run chase on the radio. For perhaps the only occasion in this World Cup England’s “top order” of 6 batsmen all made significant double figure scores. Book-ended by Dawid Malan’s 31 and Harry Brook’s quickfire 30 from just 17 balls, Jonny Bairstow finally hit some form on his way to a run-a-ball half century whilst his Yorkshire teammate Joe Root did likewise as he topped and tailed his World Cup with impressive half centuries in an otherwise underwhelming overall tournament with the bat. Captain Jos Buttler rattled a quick 27 before being run out chasing further swift late innings runs and Ben Stokes top scored for the second match running with 84 from just 76 balls received.
Setting Pakistan north of 330 runs to win begs the obvious question:
Where has this performance been hiding for the past few weeks?
But then again, a similar question could be posed to a Pakistan team expected, as were England, to figure in next week’s Semi-Finals rather than limping to an unconvincing final position of 5th in the table and in all honesty, a long way short of the top 4.
Listening to the British radio institution of “Test Match Special” for the Pakistan run chase was its usual surreal joy as tall tales were weaved and spun like a Shane Warne leg-break of hitchhiking with a passer-by to make an important bus trip, 36 hour train journeys across India with a travelling astrologer for company and the all important preparations in place for tomorrow’s Diwali festival. A picture was brilliantly painted of numerous gatherings, home cooked food and card games as a mist shrouded a cricket ground I’ve long held high in my cricketing admiration before we had the bizarre description of a broken “Zinger” bail, boxes of replacements and a host of technicians all seemingly endeavouring to ensure this 21st Century technology adhered to a 19th Century pastime that has recorded roots in a cricketing century or two even before that.
All of which made for an entertaining listen as Pakistan lost their first wicket with the second delivery of their innings, were 10–2 in double quick time and 61–3 at the fall of their captain Babar Azam for 38. The Pakistan innings then became a tale of two halves as their middle order of Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel and Salman Agha all scored 30+ runs in a spirited resistance before an even arguably more impressive refusal to collapse to defeat was demonstrated by some lusty late order blows from Shaheen Afridi with a run-a-ball 25, Mohammad Wasim with a similarly run-a-ball 16 and especially Haris Rauf with 35 from just 23 balls received. Rauf was the last man out giving Chris Woakes his only wicket of the innings but ensuring that every England bowler snagged a Pakistan batting victim as Adil Rashid, Gus Atkinson and Moeen Ali all grabbed 2 wickets apiece and “Man of the Match” David Willey, the only England player not to be offered a central contract for the coming seasons, finishing with bowling figures of 3–56.
England’s underwhelming World Cup therefore ended with the irony of a star Man of the Match performance from the only player deemed surplus to future requirements.
It rather summed up their defence of a World Cup they’ll be looking to forget in a hurry.
"Ashes to Ashes" - My self-published book
"The Spirit of Cricket" - My self-published book
Since we were last together, alas the Afghanistan World Cup dream has died. Following their heart breaking defeat to Australia on Tuesday and lest we forget, only as a result of one of THE innings of all time from Glenn Maxwell, they tumbled to a 5 wicket defeat to South Africa yesterday in yet another game they were highly competitive in, if coming up agonisingly short once more. It was always going to be the tallest of orders to vanquish both of these ultimate Semi-Finalists but boy did they run them both close! They will end this World Cup in 6th position and just one win away from the top table and should be lauded to the skies for their mighty achievement in the process. New Zealand have ultimately pipped them to the post and the 4th and final Semi-Final spot, thus setting up the unenviable prospect of a 50 over cricketing battle with hosts India on Wednesday for a berth in Sunday’s Final against the winners of the other Semi-Final between an in form Australia and an impressive South Africa.
New Zealand are plagued with injuries.
India look unbeatable.
I’d written off Australia before the tournament began.
And South Africa so often fall at the final hurdle.
I can’t see past an India/South Africa Final and ultimate glory for the home nation but then again, I’d dismissed Australia as a team in transition and a tournament too early and New Zealand have made the last two World Cup Finals!
We have 3 mouth watering games to look forward to and I for one cannot wait.
Thanks for reading. Please do consider the two self-published books linked in the middle of this article (they’d look rather lovely wrapped and beneath a cricket lover’s tree this Christmas!) as well as perusing the vast cave of wonders that are my archives here as I delve into matters of the existential heart, spoiler free film reviews and a hotchpotch of other Pulitzer Prize winning material.