The outcome of the Pakistan-England game at the Eden Gardens on November 11 had ceased to matter even before a ball was bowled. Pakistan’s only chance of making the World Cup semifinals was to bat first and win by 287 runs. The moment the coin flipped in England’s favour, and Jos Buttler chose to bat, it was curtains.
The tie did not prosper as a contest either. England scored 337 for nine on the slow, abrasive surface as Ben Stokes, in what was perhaps his final ODI innings, made the 37,666-strong holiday audience bounce by scripting a fine 84 (76b, 11x4, 2x6). Pakistan fell woefully short, losing by 93 runs, even as England sealed Champions Trophy qualification.
When Babar Azam was batting, Pakistan looked very much in the hunt. But once the skipper fell in the 14th over after a sweet 38 (45b, 6x4), it all fizzled out. The middle-order collapse against Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali was particularly glaring. Once a land of great spinners and spin-playing batters, present-day Pakistan is neither.
