As Kolkata twinkled in anticipation for Diwali, two sides for whom the lights went out in this World Cup met at the iconic Eden Gardens. England eased to a 93-run win over Pakistan, even if they would have happily traded places in the final shake-up.
Babar Azam’s team were all but certain to finish fifth and confirmation essentially came at the toss. Any distant hope of conjuring up the landslide 287-run (or more) scoreline needed to sneak into the semi-finals via net run rate dissolved when Jos Buttler won it and opted to bat first. Chasing a target to make the top four, the sums suggested, was even closer to an outright impossibility.
