Pakistan thrash England to march into the finals
June 15, 2017 | SportsGuff Team 810 Reads
Image Source: ESPNCricinfo
Pakistan secured a place in the finals of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2017 with an impressive 8 wicket victory over England in the first semi final at Cardiff on Wednesday. Pakistan bowled well to restrict England for 211 and then chased down the target in 38th over with 8 wickets in hand.
A disciplined bowling performance from Pakistan was backed up by good batting from Pakistan top order. Hasan Ali was pick of the bowlers for Pakistan as he finished with the figures of 3-35. Junaid Khan and Rumman Raees shared 2 wickets each while Shadab Khan picked up a wicket. Joe Root was the top scorer for England with 46 run while Jonny Bairstow chipped in with 43 runs. Eoin Morgan (33) and Ben Stokes (34) got starts but couln't convert into big score.
Pakistan in reply got off to a good start as Azhar Ali and Fakhar Zaman added 118 runs for the first wicket. Azhar made 76 runs while Fakhar Zaman scored 57 runs. Babar Azam (38*) and Mohammad Hafeez (31*) remained unbeaten to complete a 8 wicket victory.
Pakistan will now face the winner of the second semi final between India and Bangladesh.
Match Summary:
Pakistan 215 for 2 (Azhar 76, Fakhar 57)
beat
England 211 (Root 46, Bairstow 43, Hasan 3-35, Junaid 2-42)
by 8 wickets
