The 44th match of the Cricket World Cup 2023 between Pakistan and England reached its halfway stage as Pakistan failed to perform with the ball again.

England won the toss and chose to bat first, scoring a formidable total of 337-9 in 50 overs.

England opened the innings with a solid start as the opening batters, Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow, forged an opening partnership of 82 runs as Dawid Malan was dismissed by Iftikhar Ahmed.

After Jonny Bairstow was dismissed, he scored 59 runs, Joe Root and Ben Stokes formed a crucial partnership, contributing 132 runs to England’s innings.

Middle-order batsman Ben Stokes played a pivotal innings, scoring 84 runs off 76 balls, while Joe Root contributed 60 runs. Their performances collectively set a formidable target of 338 runs.

Pakistan’s bowling unit faced another disappointment, with the main bowler, Shaheen Afridi again proving expensive. He took 2 wickets but conceded 72 runs in 10 overs and Mohammad Wasim Jr took 2 wickets and conceded 74 runs.

Shadab Khan bowled impressively, despite remaining wicketless. He conceded 57 runs in his 10 overs. Haris Rauf also performed exceptionally well in the final overs, taking 3 wickets while giving away 64 runs in his 10 overs.

Meanwhile, the Green Shirts must adopt an aggressive and effective batting approach to pursue the challenging target of 338 runs. Even though Pakistan has been officially eliminated from the World Cup 2023, a victory would secure them the 5th position in the points table.

Source: Pro Pakistani