Live – England vs Pakistan, ICC Champions Trophy 2017 semi-final, live cricket score: Zaman, Azhar slam fifties, PAK on course
Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl in the first semi-final at Cardiff against England. This is the first time Pakistan will take on England in this tournament. Eoin Morgan’s side are undefeated in this tournament while Sarfraz Ahmed’s side are missing the services of Mohammad Amir. Catch live cricket score of England vs Pakistan semi-final here. (LIVE SCORECARD | )
21:00 hrs IST: FOUR! And with this Babar Azam moves into 20s. It’s all too easy for Pakistan now. They need 55 off 132.
20:56 hrs IST: Just three runs off Plunkett’s fifth. Pakistan need 60 off 138.
20:53 hrs IST: Pakistan are 149/1 after 26 overs. Azhar 65*, Azam 18*
20:46 hrs IST: Azhar Ali has moved into his 60s. He has been a picture of composure so far. He is relying on singles and twos at the moment. PAK 142-1 in 25 overs
20:43 hrs IST: SIX! Azam gets into the groove . He gets down the track and hits Adil Rashid over mid-on. PAK 138-1 in 24 overs
20:39 hrs IST: Babar Azam is the new batsman at the crease. He plays Mark Wood cautiously. PAK 128-1 in 23 overs
20:34 hrs IST: WICKET! Zaman st Buttler b Rashid 57(58). But has the damage been done?
20:32 hrs IST: Pakistan are 118/0 after 21 overs. Zaman 57*, Azhar 52*
20:27 hrs IST: FOUR! And that’s fifty for Azhar, his 11th in ODIs. Responsible innings from the former skipper. Should look to stay till the end.
20:23 hrs IST: Only three runs off Wood’s sixth. Pakistan are 108/0 after 19 overs.
20:20 hrs IST: Wood again. England need a breakthrough.
DO YOU KNOW - The last time Pakistan had 50+ opening stands in consecutive ODIs outside Asia was way back in 2013.
20:15 hrs IST: FOUR! Flighted delivery from Moeen, Zaman makes rooms and creams it over cover. Pakistan are 105/0 after 18 overs.
20:12 hrs IST: Single and that’s fifty for Zaman, second consecutive in ODIs. What an innings!
20:10 hrs IST: FOUR! Sixth boundary for Zaman. Absolutely brilliant display of strokeplay from the southpaw. Pakistan are 95/0 after 16 overs.
DO YOU KNOW - England have won 12 of their last 14 ODIs against Pakistan.
20:05 hrs IST: BOUNDARY! Tossed up from Rashid, Zaman comes down the track and lofts it over mid-off for once bounce four. Pakistan are 88/0 after 15 overs.
20:02 hrs IST: Some spin now. Rashid comes into the attack.
20:01 hrs IST: Fifteen runs in the last two overs. Pakistan are 81/0 after 14 overs. Zaman 37*, Azhar 36*
19:57 hrs IST: FOUR! Overpitched delivery from Stokes and Azhar plays a lovely square drive past the point region. Shot of the day!
19:54 hrs IST: Three runs off the final delivery for Azhar. Pakistan are 66/0 after 12 overs.
19:54 hrs IST: Three runs off the final delivery for Azhar. Pakistan are 66/0 after 12 overs.
19:52 hrs IST: FOUR! Fuller delivery from Plunkett, on Zaman’s pads, and the southpaw just helps it on its way to fine leg boundary.
19:49 hrs IST: Single for Zaman and he moves into 30s. Pakistan are 56/0 after 11 overs.
19:48 hrs IST: FOUR! Poor delivery from Stokes. Straying down leg and Azhar pulls it well to fine-leg boundary.
19:46 hrs IST: Here comes the first change in bowling – Ben Stokes.
19:45 hrs IST: Eight runs off Ball’s fifth over. Pakistan are 49/0 after 10 overs.
19:42 hrs IST: FOUR! Can’t understand why England bowlers aren’t trying variations. Another short ball and it gets the treatment it deserved. Zaman comes forward and slashes it to deep mid-wicket boundary.
19:40 hrs IST: FOUR! Short delivery from Wood, Zaman gets into position early and pulls it over square leg. Pakistan are 41/0 after 9 overs.
19:36 hrs IST: FOUR! Short and wide from Ball and Azhar punches it past the fielder at point for his first boundary. Pakistan are 35/0 after 8 overs.
19:33 hrs IST: Wood continues to keep things tight… for now. Pakistan are 30/0 after 7 overs.
19:29 hrs IST: Only 3 runs off Ball’s over. Pakistan are 29/0 after 6 overs.
19:25 hrs IST: Pakistan are 26/0 after 5 overs. Zaman 14*, Azhar 6*
DO YOU KNOW – England hit 15 boundaries today, the least in a completed innings since the 2015 World Cup.
DO YOU KNOW – England hit 15 boundaries today, the least in a completed innings since the 2015 World Cup.
19:20 hrs IST: FOUR! Short of a length delivery from Ball, Zaman charges down the track and pulls it past square leg.
19:18 hrs IST: Remarkable stuff from Wood. Just two runs off his second. Pakistan are 18/0 after 3 overs.
19:15 hrs IST: Decent start from Ball. Pakistan are 16/0 after 2 overs.
DO YOU KNOW - Fakhar Zaman has scored his 81 runs in the 2017 Champions Trophy from only 59 balls; the at a strike-rate of 137.3, the highest by any batsman to score 50+ runs in the competition.
19:12 hrs IST: Jake Ball comes into the attack.
19:10 hrs IST: Costly start from Wood. Pakistan are 10/0 after first over.
19:09 hrs IST: SIX! Short ball from Wood, Zaman looks to pull but instead gets a top edge and it flies over the keeper’s head for a maximum.
19:07 hrs IST: Straightaway some movement for Wood.
19:05 hrs IST: Time for Pakistan’s chase. Azhar Ali to take strike. Mark Wood to bowl the first over.
19:07 hrs IST: Straightaway some movement for Wood.
19:05 hrs IST: Time for Pakistan’s chase. Azhar Ali to take strike. Mark Wood to bowl the first over.
Shoaib Malik: “The good thing that Hasan has, he comes back hard even when he gives away a four. That is a hallmark for a good sportsperson. Whoever gets in, should try to take the team home. The responsibility is on the batsmen now.”
18:37 hrs IST: OUT! And that’s it. England have been bundled out for 211. What a performance from Pakistan! Bowlers stepped up to the plate and most importantly, not a single catch was dropped. We’ll be back in a short while.
18:35 hrs IST: Unlucky! Width on offer from Junaid but Ball finds a fielder at point.
18:34 hrs IST: Another dot delivery. Can he get a boundary in the next three balls?
18:33 hrs IST: No run off the second ball. Length from Junaid, Wood makes room to smash it past mid-off but misses.
18:32 hrs IST: Junaid starts off with a slow bouncer, Ball works it to long leg for a single.
18:31 hrs IST: Junaid Khan to bowl the final six balls.
18:30 hrs IST: Single off the last ball for Wood. England are 207/9 after 49 overs.
18:28 hrs IST: WICKET! Plunkett c Azhar Ali b Raees 9(14). England in serious danger of being bowled out now.
18:26 hrs IST: Raees to bowl the penultimate over.
18:25 hrs IST: Amazing stuff from Hasan. Finishes with figures of 3/35. England are 201/8 after 48 overs.
18:22 hrs IST: WICKET! Off-cutter from Hasan, Stokes looks to play it towards leg side but instead gets a leading edge and Hafeez does the rest at short mid-wicket. England 201/8 after 47.4 overs.
18:19 hrs IST: And Rumman Raees continues to keep it tight. England are 196/7. Three more to go.
18:14 hrs IST: Another exceptional over from Hasan. Only three runs from it. England are 190/7 after 46 overs.
18:11 hrs IST: Five to go. Tension in the English camp. Even 230 seems pretty distant now.
18:09 hrs IST: No boundaries in the last five overs. England need a move on here.
18:04 hrs IST: England’s hopes pinned on steady Stokes. The southpaw needs to bat till the end.
18:02 hrs IST: WICKET! And it continues to get worse for England. Shehzad’s direct hit sends Rashid back in the hut.
17:58 hrs IST: Stokes needs to take as much strike as possible. Get a feeling anything around 240 would be a decent score for the hosts.
17:55 hrs IST: Five runs off Shadab’s ninth. England are 177/6 after 42 overs. Stokes 20*, Rashid 6*
17:52 hrs IST: Single for Stokes, moves to 17. Junaid has two more overs left. England are 173/6 after 41 overs.
17:48 hrs IST: England are 169/6 after 40 overs. Stokes 15*, Rashid 3* – and the umpire signals for Powerplay 3.
17:46 hrs IST: Hasan Ali now has nine wickets in the tournament, the most by a Pakistan bowler in an edition of Champions Trophy.
17:45 hrs IST: Stupendous over from Junaid. Four runs and a wicket. England are 165/6 after 39 overs.
17:42 hrs IST: WICKET! And short ball does the trick for Junaid and Pakistan. Moeen Ali’s weakness gets exposed (once again). Zaman completes a neat catch at deep square leg.
17:40 hrs IST: Dot ball to finish off. England are 161/5 after 38 overs.
17:38 hrs IST:FOUR! Much needed for England. Fuller delivery from Hafeez and Moeen smacks it to the deep mid-wicket boundary.
17:36 hrs IST: Singles won’t matter for Pakistan here. Can see some reverse swing and it’s getting really tough for both Stokes and Moeen to go for biggies. England are 155/5 after 37 overs.
17:33 hrs IST: Junaid again
17:32 hrs IST: FOUR! Full and wide from Junaid and Moeen hits it well past backward point for his first boundary. England are 153/5 after 36 overs.
17:28 hrs IST: England are 149/5 after 35 overs. Stokes 8*, Moeen 1*. How much can the Poms get in their remaining overs?
17:25 hrs IST: Pakistan scored 136 in 30 overs, their third-lowest in ODIs since the 2015 World Cup.
17:22 hrs IST: WICKET! What a delivery from Junaid! Back of a length, just moves away, Buttler was in two minds. Gets an edge and Sarfraz does the rest bheind the stumps.
17:18 hrs IST: Some shape for both Junaid and Hasan. Excellent captaincy from Sarfraz. Slip still in place. England are 148/4 after 34 overs. That’s drinks.
17:15 hrs IST: Back of the hand deliveries, off cutters have been difficult to hit. Have to admit Pakistan have read the conditions really well.
17:11 hrs IST: Junaid Khan comes back for his second spell.
17:09 hrs IST: Jos Buttler now. England in desperate need of a partnership. Stokes holds the key here.
17:07 hrs IST: WICKET! Hasan strikes again. Morgan, looking settled for a big score, goes for 33(53). Pakistan on front foot!
17:04 hrs IST: Brilliant stuff from Hafeez. Just 27 runs off his seven overs. England are 139/3 after 31 overs.
17:00 hrs IST: Flighted delivery from Shadab, Morgan gets down on one knee and plays the reverse sweep over short third-man region. England are 136/3 after 30 overs.
16:57 hrs IST: Pakistan’s spinners (Hafeez, Shadab and Imad) have given away just 66 runs in 17 overs so far.
16:53 hrs IST: Ben Stokes is in at No. 5
16:51 hrs IST: WICKET! Root nicks it to Sarfraz trying to cut. First wicket of the day for leggie Shadab.
16:48 hrs IST: Another good over for Pakistan. Just four runs off it. England are 127/2 after 27 overs.
16:45 hrs IST: Eoin Morgan is adjudged out after he is caught from a Shadab delivery, but a review shows the ball didn’t make contact with his bat. He ends the over with a boundary. England are 123/2 after 26 overs.
16:41 hrs IST: Single off the last delivery for Root. England are 118/2 after 25 overs.
16:39 hrs IST: FOUR! Touch short from Hafeez, Morgan goes back and pulls it to deep mid-wicket for his second boundary.
16:37 hrs IST: Speaking of Mohammad Hafeez, here he is again.
DO YOU KNOW - Pakistan come into this match having secured four wins in their last five ODI outings.
16:30 hrs IST: England are 101/2 after 22 overs. Root 36*, Morgan 8*
16:28 hrs IST: Single and that’s 100 up for England in 21.4 overs.
16:26 hrs IST: Pakistan bowlers mixing it up really well. Runs tough to come by. England are 96/2 after 21 overs.
16:22 hrs IST: Been a pretty good year for captain Morgan so far. Four centuries and has just become the third England player to cross the 5000-run mark in ODIs.
16:18 hrs IST: It’s been singles all the way in the last two overs. England are 89/2 after 19 overs.
16:18 hrs IST: It’s been singles all the way in the last two overs. England are 89/2 after 19 overs.
DO YOU KNOW – A total of three players have made their ODI debut for Pakistan in this Champions Trophy (Fakhar Zaman, Faheem Ashraf and Rumman Raees.)
16:12 hrs IST: Mohammad Hafeez comes into the attack.
16:11 hrs IST: Great start from Hasan. Only one run and a wicket. England are 81/2 after 17 overs.
16:09 hrs IST: Eoin Morgan now. He’s two half-centuries in three games so far.
16:05 hrs IST: WICKET! Shortish delivery from Hasan Ali, Bairstow pulls it but doesn’t get enough power and finds Hafeez at deep square leg. Time for drinks as well.
16:02 hrs IST: Thirteen runs in the last three overs. England are 80/1 after 16 overs. Bairstow 43*, Root 24*
DO YOU KNOW – England have won 11 of their last 12 ODIs and have a winning rate of 79% in 2017.
15:57 hrs IST: BOUNDARY! Tossed up from Shadab and Bairstow creams it straight down the ground for one bounce four. Was all bottom hand!
15:55 hrs IST: Another brilliant over from Imad. Just two off it. England are 67/1 after 13 overs.
15:53 hrs IST: Single off the last ball for Root. England are 65/1 after 12 overs.
15:52 hrs IST: FOUR! Too short from Shadab, Root rocks back and powers it to deep mid-wicket boundary.
15:50 hrs IST: Shadab Khan now.
15:49 hrs IST: Eighteen balls since the last boundary. England are 58/1 after 11 overs.
15:46 hrs IST: Seven runs off Raees’ fifth. England are 52/1 after 10 overs. Bairstow 29*, Root 10*
15:46 hrs IST: Seven runs off Raees’ fifth. England are 52/1 after 10 overs. Bairstow 29*, Root 10*
DO YOU KNOW – Pakistan beat England by four wickets in the only completed ODI to have taken place between the two nations in Cardiff (September 2016).
15:41 hrs IST: Magnificent from Imad. Giving no room to both batsmen to free their arms. England are 45/1 after 9 overs.
15:38 hrs IST: FOUR! Poor bowling from Raees. On Root’s pads and the Englishman just helps it to square leg for his first boundary. England are 44/1 after 8 overs.
15:35 hrs IST: Root gets off the mark with a double off the last ball. England are 37/1 after 7 overs.
15:33 hrs IST: Imad Wasim comes in as the first change.
15:32 hrs IST: Good over from Raees. Five runs and a wicket. England are 34/1 after 6 overs. Bairstow 21*, Root 0*
15:30 hrs IST: Joe Root is the next man in at No. 3
15:29 hrs IST: OUT! Hales looks to drive it through cover but finds Babar Azam. Rumman Raees has his revenge.
15:27 hrs IST: FOUR! This is excellent from Bairstow. Good length delivery from Raees and he slams it past the bowler for his third boundary.
15:25 hrs IST: FOUR! Slower delivery from Junaid, outside off, Hales drives it well in the gap between mid-off and cover. Moves into double figures. England are 29/0 after 5 overs.
15:22 hrs IST: So finally a solid start from England. Another 10 overs without a wicket and Pakistan would be in all sorts of trouble.
15:20 hrs IST: Another decent over from Raees. Just four runs from it. England are 24/0 after 4 overs.
DO YOU KNOW -The last time both England and Pakistan faced in an ICC ODI tournament was in 2003 World Cup.
15:15 hrs IST: Dot ball to finish off. Expensive over from Junaid. Thirteen runs off it. England are 20/0 after 3 overs.
15:13 hrs IST: And Bairstow has started to break the shackles. Consecutive boundaries from him. Junaid struggling to find the right length.
15:10 hrs IST: Tidy start from Raees. No margin for error. England are 7/0 after 2 overs.
STAT ATTACK – Mark Wood recorded more dot balls (101) than any other bowler in the 2017 Champions Trophy group stage.
15:07 hrs IST: Rumman Raees comes into the attack.
15:06 hrs IST: FOUR! Full and wide from Junaid and Hales drives it past the fielder at mid-off for his first boundary. England are 5/0 after first over.
15:04 hrs IST: Bairtsow gets off the mark. Length ball and he works to square leg for a single.
15:02 hrs IST: Lucky Bairtsow! Survives and close LBW decision ( umpire’s call). Wonder, what Morgan must have said at the post match presentation!
15:00 hrs IST: It’s time for live action. Hales and Bairtsow have made their way out in the middle. Junaid to start the proceedings for Pakistan.
14:56 hrs IST: Both teams lining up for the national anthems.
DO YOU KNOW – Eoin Morgan is five away from reaching 5,000 ODI runs for England; only two men have already achieved this feat for England (Ian Bell & Paul Collingwood).
14:39 hrs IST: Here are the playing XI of both teams:
Pakistan: Azhar Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed(w/c), Imad Wasim, Rumman Raees, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Junaid Khan
England: Alex Hales, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan(c), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler(w), Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett, Mark Wood, Jake Ball
14:33 hrs IST: Pakistan opt to bowl vs England. No Mohammad Amir while (as expected) Jonny Bairstow is in for Jason Roy.
14:26 hrs IST: Conditions are sunny in Swalec. Hopefully, they’ll stay that way. In case of a wash-out, England go through to the final as they finished higher.
14:19 hrs IST: Eoin Morgan has dropped a hint that he might play Jonny Bairstow ahead of Jason Roy. The opener has struggled ever since the India series, managing scores of 0,20,1,1,8,4,1,13 and 4 since the Ireland series in early May.
14:14 hrs IST: Some news from the Pakistan camp. Mohammad Amir could be in doubt for this match after suffering from back spasms.
14:00 hrs IST: Pakistan will have happy memories of an ICC event in 2009. At that time, no one gave them a chance but they went on to win the ICC World T20 at that time. They have the capability to produce a similar performance.
13:45 hrs IST: Pakistan have not beaten England in an ICC tournament since the 1996 World Cup. Can they break the 21-year jinx today?
13:25 hrs IST: England have been unbeaten so far in the tournament, but they’ll not take Pakistan lightly. But, Sarfraz Ahmed’s team have problems with their batting.
13:00 hrs IST: A warm welcome to the first semi-final between England and Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 in Cardiff. The tournament has reached the business end and a slip-up from any of the teams will be fatal.
Sarfraz Ahmed’s side have lived up to their ‘unpredictability’ tag in this tournament but they encounter an England side that is currently on top of it’s game. Pakistan have not won an ICC event match against England since the 1996 World Cup and they will be desperate to snap that losing streak. However, it will not be easy against Eoin Morgan’s side, who are determined to clinch an ICC silverware and give home fans something to cheer.
Key players
For Pakistan, Sarfraz Ahmed reaffirmed his value with the bat as he guided the team to a tense win over Sri Lanka. However, the exploits of Fakhar Zaman at the top have been key and he will be expected to attack against a formidable England attack in their conditions.
England have a key impact player in Ben Stokes and his century against Australia only confirmed his brilliant form. With the possible addition of Jonny Bairstow in the line-up, Eoin Morgan’s side have plenty of depth in the batting.
