PUNE – England crushed Netherlands by 160 runs in the 40th game of the 2023 ICC World Cup in Pune.
England, who had lost their previous five games, finally won to maintain their chances of qualifying for the Champions Trophy in 2025.
Earlier, trailing champions England were saved from yet another collapse by Ben Stokes’ first World Cup century, which saw them reach 339 for nine.
After winning the toss, Stokes’ innings of 108, just England’s second individual century of the tournament, came just when it appeared his bottom-of-the-table side would struggle to reach 300.
But once they got together at 192 for six, he and Chris Woakes (51), together, reversed the tide during a seventh-wicket partnership of 129.
England had been comfortably positioned at 133 for one, with opener Dawid Malan scoring 87.
England have only triumphed in one of their previous seven group games going into this one.
Defending champions England won the toss and elected to bat first against Netherlands in a must-win affair to qualify for the Champions Trophy to be held in 2025 in Pakistan.
Today’s game might not affect both squads in the ongoing World Cup 2023, but the Champions Trophy 2025 qualification remained crucial for England.
The 40th game of the leading ICC event will be played at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune as Buttler led the squad eyeing to get their second win in CWC 23.
England’s World Cup campaign was poor but the reigning champions look to finish the two matches of the Cricket World Cup 2023 gracefully as they are already out of contention for the semi-finals.
The final two matches will help them qualify for the ICC Champions Trophy that is slated to be held in Pakistan in 2025.
The Netherlands’s chances of sneaking into the semi-finals are dim but they also eye making it to ICC Champions Trophy.
England vs Netherlands World Cup Squads
England: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Brydon Carse, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.
Netherlands: Scott Edwards (c), Max O’Dowd, Bas de Leede, Vikram Singh, Teja Nidamanuru, Paul van Meekeren, Colin Ackermann, Roelof van der Merwe, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Ryan Klein, Wesley Barresi, Saqib Zulfiqar, Shariz Ahmad, Sybrand Engelbrecht.
Pakistan’s World Cup semi-final qualification scenario after Australia beat Afghanistan
