Key events
Pakistan need 338 in just the 6.4 overs to qualify for those semi-finals. They were good in the field today, Afridi’s slippery hands aside. Rauf was superb at the end.
“Anything above 260-270 would have been good,” says Eoin Morgan. Pakistan will do well to catch England today.
A much better performance by England, on a tricky pitch and against some high quality bowling. Stokes, just on the eve of his knee operation, has hit a purple patch; Root passed fifty without ever hitting text-book touch; Bairstow powered away at the top, Willey and Brook – at opposite ends of their careers – played rocketing cameos. Even Buttler managed 27. And all under the haze of difficult levels of air pollution.
Pakistan need 338 to win!
50th over: England 337-9 ( Woakes 4, Rashid 0) Willey plays a kind of hockey scoop off Wasim’s first ball for four. The next is lamped straight for six – what satisfaction! Wasim wobbles his lips like a frog. Four more – this time a golf shot, over wide long off for four. Wasim strikes back at the last, with two wickets in two – but misses out on a hat-trick as another zinger goes leg-side.
WICKET! Atkinson b Wasim 0 (England 336-9)
Gorgeous! An off stump zinger that bamboozles Atkinson. Wasim now on a hat-trick!
WICKET! Willey c Iftikar b Wasim 15 (England 336-8)
Willey walks off with a smile, hair as immaculate as ever, after getting a leading edge well caught by Iftikar sprinting in at mid-on . A cameo to remember in his final innings.
49th over: England 322-7 ( Woakes 4, Willey 1) The zing bail is broken by Moeen’s wicket, we wait, and wait, while a replacement is tried. Two dots, a leg bye and a wicket in Rauf’s first four balls. Willey gets off the mark with a single in the last innings of his career. Woakes leans into an immaculate cover drive for four.
WICKET! Moeen b Rauf 8 (England 317-7)
Brilliant bowling from Rauf! A cutter that zips through the defences to tickle off stump.
48th over: England 316-6 ( Moeen Ali 8, Woakes 0) Buttler pulls Wasim’s first ball for four, before the run-out, sent on his way with a mouthful from Rauf. An 88-metre six from Moeen brings the thrills before Diwali tomorrow.
WICKET! Buttler run-out (Rauf) 27 (England 308-6)
Astonishing fielding! England try to steal a single but Buttler is beaten by a screamer from Rauf at third.
47th over: England 304-5 ( Buttler 23, Moeen Ali 1) This is a much bigger score than people were predicting at the start of play – England have done well on this stop-start pitch. Brook reaches outside off stump, as if hoovering behind the sofa, to scoop Rauf for four and tumble onto his back in the process. Rauf respons with a yorker but finishes on the ground, breathing heavily. He drinks water as the physio comes out – but it doesn’t seem to be too serious as he continues. An overthrow brings England another single, and Rauf much annoyance. But next ball, he collects Brook.
WICKET! Brook c Afridi b Rauf 30 (England 302-5)
This time Afridi holds on! A super catch with both hands caught on the slide at mid-off, Brook done by a slower ball.
46th over: England 296-4 ( Buttler 22, Brook 24 Wasim starts with a wide but then manages to hold the horses, restricting England to just seven from the over
“Regarding Chris Fower’s scrambled eggs (Over 36), one word: ugh,” writes Jonah Sack. “Make curds, not slop.”
45th over: England 289-4 ( Buttler 20, Brook 20) An astonishing six from Brook who leans back and flicks, sending Afridi’s first ball back over his head for six. A full toss is fired through point for four and another full toss frying panned over long-on. Afridi’s ten overs have cost an eye-popping 72.
44th over: England 269-4 ( Buttler 19, Brook 1) Buttler is wearing his lucky boots. Gets a life when Wasim can’t hold onto a reverse-sweep at backward point – collects four. Then another as he lofts Shadab into the murk, and Rauf catches on the boundary, before throwing the ball into the air as he steps fully back over the rope, and catching it again in the playing surface. But in the slip between taking the catch and throwing it in the air, a rogue heel does for him.
43rd over: England 257-4 ( Buttler 8, Brook 0) Apologies, just realised my overs were completely out of sync.
WICKET! Root c Shadab b Afridi 60 (England 257-4)
A slower ball, a leading edge, as Root is squared up, and the ball squeezes high to Shadab who scampers to collect with both hands at point.
42nd over: England 256-3 (Root 60, Buttler 7) Root sweeps Shadab forward of square for four. And Buttler too finds a chink of light, as he reverse sweeps with gusto. On Sky, Nasser reveals that this is the first time all tournament that Buttler is batting in the last 10 overs.
41st over: England 245-3 (Root 54, Buttler 2) Can Buttler find some form late in the day too? Picks up a couple of singles.
WICKET! Stokes b Afridi 84 (England 240-3)
A late reverse-swinging golden egg that pings back Stokes’ off stump. Off he must go, for possibly the last time in an ODI.
Fifty for Joe Root!
40th over: England 240-2 (Root 51, Stokes 84) Darkness has fallen over Eden Gardens now, it shimmers with light. From the dug-out, applause, as Root reaches fifty off 65 balls – his third of the competition. He wipes his face with a towel, gulps down water. I wonder how he’s coping with the air pollution – after the game with South Africa he said “it just felt like you couldn’t get your breath. It was like you were eating the air.”
Robert Lewis, spoiler below from John Starbuck: “I read Vikram Seth’s ‘A Suitable Boy’ when it came out (1993), partly because of good reviews and partly because I’d enjoyed his sonnet-based novel ‘Golden Gate’. Soon after, it was touted for the Booker Prize but tuned down flat even for the longlist.
“ The reason was its length (1474 pages in paperback) and the later consensus was that, in attempting to marry family saga with mildly satirical politics, set during India’s independence emergence, it was just too baggy to work. Had Seth removed all the political rambling it might have won awards. Mind you, there were plenty of people who did struggle through it but it’s not one I shall ever re-read. Apologies to Robert Lewis if I gave too much away there.”
39th over: England 235-2 (Root 48, Stokes 81) At last! Some sweeties for Root. Wasim serves up one too full, and one too wide, and Root sends both on their way for four.
“Scrambled egg for the dog, eh?” taps Chris Fower. “Lucky pooch.” I know, and not at dinner time either.
“There’s a whole thread to be opened about the correct consistency of scrambled eggs. My own opinion (and a blatant attempt to establish the inalterable truth) is that you should never be able to pick up scrambled eggs with a fork, unless you’re using in spoon position. More solid scrambled eggs are a failed omelette, nothing more.”
38th over: England 223-2 (Root 38, Stokes 80) Root tries to reverse ramp Rauf, but, right now, the old magic just isn’t there. He makes contact next ball, but only for a single. Excellent by Rauf, just two for the over.
Good morning John Foster:
”Have they finally, at this last go, fixed the ‘England’ typeface/font on Stokes’ shirt? Haven’t been watching THAT closely (honest) but in all the previous matches it looked ‘wrong’ yet now it’s the same as the others. Could this be one of the positives the England management can take, going forward? A better-late-than-never execution of the kit person’s skill sets? Or is it rather a symbol of freewheelin’ individualism inevitably broken on the wheel of ECB micromanagement, conformity, and modern analytics? Could explain a lot…”
37th over: England 221-2 (Root 37, Stokes 79) Babar – whose reviewing is not of semi-final quality – choses to send to the third umpire an lbw against Root off Wasim – going down. A good over, Root beaten by another as he tries to swing. Just one from teh over.
Hello Alistair Connor: ”For someone who grew up with the Stones (and, to be painfully clear, with the Beatles), the idea of the current England line-up receiving Mick speaks to me of “shagged-out former glories”. Given the shorter time-scales in sport, and to rub it in painfully : I don’t seriously rate anything the Stones have done since about 1975 (Goats’ head soup is an acceptable sing-along album, and that’s it).
“Sorry, but my earworm this morning is “Paint it black”.”
36th over: England 219-2 (Root 37, Stokes 78) Stokes revs up: four straight down the ground, as the knee misbehaves again. Reverse-sweeps for six, tumbling over in the stroke and ending up on his back like a beetle. Changes his gloves. Four more as Salman is edged behind – Stokes beaten but past Rizwan. Stokes steals the strike.
35th over: England 204-2 (Root 36, Stokes 63) Stokes stands and delivers, pow, over long on for SIX. His knee locks in the process. Four more, pulled with power. Wasim manages to reign him in third ball. It is difficult to tell from the television, but it looks as if there is quite a haze over the pitch too. If you’re there, please do write in. Floodlights on.
Fifty for Stokes!
34th over: England 192-2 (Root 35, Stokes 52) Root looking more at ease too, smiling as he attempts a reverse paddle off Salman that hits the wrong side of his bat. Stokes nails the reverse sweep! And reaches his second fifty of the tournament, off 53 balls – eight boundaries.
“Hi Tanya,” hello Robert Lewis.
“I’m reading ‘A Suitable Boy’ a mega-long novel partly set in Calcutta at the moment (I love those long novels, perfect for the middle overs). Reminds me of the 15-year-old me who was taken to Lord’s by my big bro John when he was let down by a girlfriend. Hanif Mohammad crawled to about 80 all day, and I read a chunk of ‘War and Peace’. And yes, I do have very few friends.”
33rd over: England 186-2 (Root 34, Stokes 47) A determined Stokes sweeps Iftikhar for four. Some smart fielding in the circle prevents another boundary. They take drinks.
32nd over: England 180-2 (Root 33, Stokes 42) Dab, dab, dab.
“That list of top nibblers – are you outside of your mind? Pat Cummins has constantly got his digits in his gob. It’s a wonder he can hold the ball.” Damn, how could I have forgotten Cummins – thank you Felix Wood.
31st over: England 177-2 (Root 32, Stokes 40) Bang! Stokes thrashes Iftikhar through long-on for four. Next to me the dog is illegally being fed scrambled egg
“Morning Tanya.” Nice to hear from you Brian Withington.
”When England sat down for their extensive pre-tournament forward planning (?), they would surely have been hoping to go into a potentially tricky final game against the unpredictably brilliant Pakistan with their status for the semi-finals already well assured, without exposure to irksome NRR calculation scenarios.” So true!
30th over: England 169-2 (Root 31, Stokes 33) Stokes attempts that reverse-sweep again, he can’t quite master it today. Scuttles a single, four off Shadab’s seventh.
29th over: England 166-2 (Root 29, Stokes 32) A thick, thick haze hangs over Kolkata, a pink sun hangs in the sky, only just visible.
“Good morning.” Hello John Starbuck! “I expect other teams have celebrity followers too. I understand that Mick Jagger was a useful net bowler in his early days, so it’s quite reasonable for him to watch the team, especially in a country he doesn’t have to pay tax in. All the more fun, though England don’t seem to be enjoying it much.”
28th over: England 16w-2 (Root 27, Stokes 30) Shadab, shirt untucked, Root goes past a thousand CWC runs – the first Englishman to get there – with an inside edge that skims the stumps – a career World Cup average of 45 despite a disappointing tournament.
27th over: England 158-2 (Root 24, Stokes 29) Stokes unrecognisable from the jittery fellow who played the first few England games of this World Cup. Confidence fully back. He fires Afridi through mid on for four. Then leans back, showing all three stumps, and scythes him through cover for four more. And four more splattered straight down the ground. The fifty partnership comes up off 52 balls. Afridi throws his hat in the air in digust.
26th over: England 146-2 (Root 24, Stokes 17) Shadab goes for three singles. Stokes nearly done by the sweep, as he drops, and misses. Shadab grins.
25th over: England 140-2 (Root 20, Stokes 15) Afridi drops Stokes (10) in his follow through, fumbling as if with a complicated knitting pattern as the ball pops into his hands, and out again. Next ball, as he likes to, Stokes smashes Afridi down the ground for four. A thick haze of pollution is visible as the camera pans down the (Hooghly (?) ) river. In the dugout, Jonny Bairstow bites his nails – he, Marnus Labuschagne, and Baz de Leede the World Cup’s most active nibblers.
Australia making swift progress against Bangladesh, 100-1 off 15 chasing 307 in Pune – read all about it here:
24th over: England 134-2 (Root 19, Stokes 10) Stokes tries to reverse-sweep Shadab, misses, stumbles, and the ball runs between Rizwan’s legs and down to the rope. Sweeps conventionally next ball, but straight to the fielder.
23rd over: England 128-2 (Root 18, Stokes 9) Rauf, cartwheeling approach. England happy to dab singles here and there, he and Root exchange grins.
More on the Stones from Daniel Forman:
@tjaldred there’s a song on the new (quite good actually) Stones album called Mess It Up. Or I suppose You Can’t Always Get What You Want in the World Cup. But if you try *sometimes* you might get what you need for the Champions Trophy
— Daniel Forman (@dannyforman) November 11, 2023
22nd over: England 125-2 (Root 16, Stokes 8) A loopy full toss from Shadab, Root tucks in with a smile: four.
“Morning Tanya,” hello again Krishnamoorthy V.
“Cant resist the invitation to the Mick Jagger incident
Did he sing You can’t get what you want Or Gimme shelter ?”
21st over: England 118-2 (Root 10, Stokes 7) Stokes pushed backwards and jackknifed as Rauf hits him on the pad. Babar considers an appeal. Stokes then powers four through point.
“Morning Tanya,” Simon McMahon, hello. “Good start this from England. After Stokes’ hundred in the win over The Netherlands, looks like they’ve timed their run well as we head towards the knockout …”
20th over: England 112-2 (Root 9, Stokes 2) Root and Stokes watchful of Shadab .
“Thank goodness for OBO,” glad to be of service Showbizguru.
“Up most of the night here in Florida plagued by ankle bites from no-see-ums after a liquid day on the beach.
“They’re irritating little blighters which you can’t see – hence the name – which deliver a painful nip that develops into a crazed itch when the booze has worn off.”
19th over: England 110-2 (Root 8, Stokes 1) Two half-centuries for Bairstow in this World Cup – he’d have hoped for more. I’m not sure how fully recovered he is from that golf injury more than a year ago. Stokes arrives at the crease, for his last innings before he goes under the knife in an attempt to mend that troublesome knee.
WICKET! Bairstow c Salman b Rauf 55 (England 108-2)
Bairstow slams the ball …straight into Salman’s breadbasket at extra cover.
18th over: England 106-1 (Bairstow 57, Root 7) A handful of singles.
17th over: England 102-1 (Bairstow 55, Root 5) Bairstow picks up four from Wasim’s first ball, after an appalling bit of fielding on the rope by Fakhar. Wasim not impressed.
“Kia ora Tanya,” Hello Graeme Simpson!
”Emailed Rob and Tim over the last week or so advising never count Pakistan out.
“I was directing Crowe on Crowe, a profile of Marty Crowe during the 1992 Cricket World Cup and was on Eden Park in Auckland with my crew as the Blacks Caps took a lap of honour after their semi final defeat.
The doco ended on a freeze frame of a very staunch Marty waving to the crowd fade to black, fade up Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits as the first verse kicked in. Cue tears…
The week before we’d been in Christchurch to record Marty being interviewed by his brother, Jeff. Part of that was at Lancaster Park, the day before NZ was scheduled to play Pakistan in the last of the round robin.
”The Pakistani team were also at the ground for the captain’s run.
What was striking was Imran Khan in an immaculate uniform, nose in the air, being followed a metre or 2 back by the rest of the squad, all looking a bit shabby.
”Never judge a book etc. The following day they handed NZ their first loss of the tournament – and, then, that doomed semi.
The Blacks Caps backed into the semis on runs differential in 2019 ahead of Pakistan and it looks like the same this year.
With India waiting again.”
At least no England and a count back of boundaries…”
Sky just put up what Pakistan would have to do in different scenarios– not going to happen.
