Pakistan crushed England by eight-wickets in an unexpected one-sided trashing in the Champions Trophy semi-final in Cardiff on Wednesday. England were bowled out for only 211 which Pakistan chased down in comprehensive style, winning by eight wickets and more than 12 overs to go.

After winning the toss and putting England in, Sarfaraz Ahmed’s team were brilliant with the slower ball to ensure England collapsed from 118/2 to 211 all out. Hassan Ali was the standout performer for Pakistan with figures of 3/35 with Junaid Khan and Rumman Raees returning figures of 2/42 and 2/44 respectively. Joe Root was England’s highest scorer with 46.

Azhar Ali and Fakhar Zaman put on a breezy 118-run partnership which broke the back of the chase and settled Pakistani nerves. Fakhar was dismissed for a 58-ball 56 and Azhar Ali was out for a 100-ball 76 but both had done enough. Babar Azam and Mohammad Hafeez knocked off the minimum runs to take Pakistan home and through to a famous final.

As it happened:

9.55 pm: So that’s it from us here today. A one-sided thrashing, but not the team we expected at the end of it. Pakistan are through to the final...what a turnaround! Their 124-run thrashing against India seems a distant dream now. Who will they meet? India or Bangladesh? We’ll find out tomorrow...but remember this is the season of upsets!

Here’s our full match report:

9.51 pm: A forlorn Eoin Morgan says, “We didn’t adapt to conditions well. Pakistan were great. Don’t think we were simply used to the wicket. We did not adjust with the bat. 200 isn’t a competitive score. 250-270 would have been great. It’s the way it is (used pitch). You have to be good in all conditions. There’s no home advantage for any side. We bowled OK but 211 is not a good score. Still continuing to learn our cricket. ”

A delighted Sarfaraz Ahmed: “Our bowlers are doing very well. We decided, at the toss, that we could do it. Credit goes to team management to inspire us for knockout games. Hassan Ali is a very energetic bowler....hope he takes more wickets in the final.”

9.48 pm: Hassan Ali is the Man of the Match! “Big match,” he says. “Last three overs, I didn’t do well against India. Stuck to my plans. Azhar Mahmood gave me plans. Tomorrow is my brother’s birthday...wanted to give him this best gift.”

Pakistan team taking a lap of honour to celebrate with their fans.

Some reactions:

9.40 pm: There it is! A famous victory for Pakistan. They make their first Champions Trophy final! Hafeez slams two boundaries off Moeen Ali through off and takes a single to level scores. He slames away a boundary off Stokes to win it for his team! FINALS, THEY ARE NEXT!

What a comprehensive victory. Won by eight wickets with 77 deliveries in hand!

9.36 pm: Sloppy from England. Stokes bowls it short, but it’s a no-ball...because they had too many players on the leg side. Ever heard of that? Hafeez smashes the free-hit for a six. Stokes follows up with a wide. Babar Azam smashes a cover drive for four. Pakistan need just 10 more.

They deserve the smile. An un-Pakistani performance...

9.30 pm: Sums up England today. Hafeez down the wicket and yorked himself. Bairstow can’t collect. Missed stumping. He goes up and over next ball for six. He cuts for three next over. Pakistan 187/2, need just 25 more.

“The pressure of no tomorrow” is a great line...

Is this the dark secret of England’s shocking collapse?

9.16 pm: No century for Azhar. He comes down the ground, the ball is short from Ball and he drags on. Gone for 76 but great knock. Pakistan are 173/2, need 39 more.

9.05 pm: There are actually chants of “Bangladesh” going up in Cardiff. Well, we know who Pakistan wants to face in their final. Target is below 50. Babar Azam has settled in so nicely. Pakistan 166/1 in 30 overs.

Pastings and England. You thought they had gotten past it...but...

Haa! Good point.

Bumble reckons they should have used a better pitch.

8.56 pm: The 150 is up for Pakistan. Only a matter of time now. Question now is if Azhar Ali can get a 100. He’s 67 right now. Pakistan 152/1, need another 60.

A dire warning for India!

8.45 pm: Well if England thought that wicket would precipitate a collapse, that is not happening. Two misfields last over, then Azhar Ali steps down and lots Rashid over his head for a big four. Pakistan 138/1 in 24, need just 74 more.

Knives slowly coming out for England..

8.35 pm: FINALLY A BREAKTHROUGH FOR ENGLAND. Adil Rashid bowls the wrong one, Fakhar looks to carve it away, misses, loses his balance and is stumped. Out for a 58-ball 57....great knock. Pakistan 118/1.

8.33 pm: And even Azhar gets his fifty with a boundary off a dab to third man! England, out of desperation, review a caught-behind call off Fakhar. And now it’s come back to bite them...there was no bat involved. It was thigh pad. Pakistan 118/0 after 21.

Good point. He doesn’t get enough love.

8.28 pm: Rapidly getting easier for Pakistan. Difficult to believe this was the same pitch where England looked like they couldn’t buy a run. Now Azhar Ali has crossed 46, England’s highest score in their miserable innings. Pakistan are 111/0 in 20 overs.

8.18 pm: Fakhar reaches 50. What a knock in a match when no England batsman got there. 100 up for Pakistan in easy time. England are bleeding here. He celebrates by slamming Moeen Ali over extra cover for four. They are 105/0 in 18.

First rule of cricket: don’t try and make sense of Pakistani cricket.

8.09 pm: A desperate Eoin Morgan got Adil Rashid on but Fakhar just went down the ground and slammed him for a four. Then he pulls Plunkett for another four next over. This is turning out to be an increasingly easy chase. So un-Pakistani...or did I jinx it? Pakistan 95/0 off 16 overs.

8.02 pm: Pakistan are bossing this! And it is Azhar Ali on fire. Four off Plunkett. An edge for six off Stokes. Another beautiful four! Batting of high class to take Pakistan closer. Pakistan 81/0 in 14.

7.50 pm: Fakhar Zaman and Azhar Ali are on fire. Fakhar smoked a four. Eoin Morgan brings Stokes on and Ali smokes him for four down leg. Pakistan look untroubled. This is easy. They are 56/0 after 11.

7.41 pm: Pakistan have a reputation for dragging other teams into their chaos. England just misfielded and gave away four. Ali and Zaman are building this well. Zaman now pulls away for a four. Pakistan 41/0 after 9.

7.30 pm: Not a lot of problems for Pakistan. England aren’t bowling the lengths that Pakistan did. Not a lot of trouble for Azhar Ali and Fakhar Zaman. They move to 29/0 in 6.

7.21 pm: Five wides in Ball’s over. Ali gets a single off Wood. Fakhar another top-edge which lands safely. Ali is beaten off the last ball but a great start for Pakistan. Fakhar starts the next over again with a swipe which goes for four and then takes a single. This is a great start for Pakistan. 23/0 off the first four.

Azhar Ali has a good record against England.

7.10 pm: Just the start Pakistan would have wanted. Wide, confident pull from Azhar Ali for three and then Fakhar Zaman top-edges for a six below the keeper, first six of the match! 10/0 off the first over.

7.06 pm: This stat sums up England’s performance and Pakistan’s brilliance.

This should be a walk in the park. But this is Pakistan we’re talking down. They do strange things. And Mickey Arthur knows that...

6.45 pm: What a performance from Pakistan. They never let England, even when Joe Root and Eoin Morgan were purring away, to get going. And once Shadab had Root, it all came together. Hasan Ali was brilliant, but credit to Rumman Raees and Junaid Khan as well.

How are England fans reacting?

6.35 pm: AND THAT IS HOW IT ENDS. England bowled out for 211 with one ball left in the innings. The last over from Junaid started with a no-ball and free hit but England could not take advantage. Ball managed to hit one straight but the fielders managed to pull it in for 2. Finally he played and missed, Wood ran him over but was stranded way out.

Let’s get you some reactions, then? From some delighted Pakistani fans:

6.30 pm: Nine wickets! Plunkett hits an edged four and then tries to hit the short ball away for a six on the long boundary. It’s been the theme of their innings so far....and Azhar Ali holds on. England 206/9 with 7 balls left to go.

Quite...

6.25 pm: GONE! Hasan Ali becomes the highest wicket-taker in the competition. Stokes is frustrated, tries to go big on a Ali slower ball. Goes miles in the air and Hafeez catches it at cover. Goes for a 64-ball 34. England 201/8 with 14 balls left.

No boundaries since the 39th over...

6.19 pm: Stokes is playing a very-un-Stokesy innings. Can’t help it though. Difference between 190 and 220. Which is a lot for Pakistan. 196/7 with 47 overs.

6.15 pm: Not a single boundary for Stokes now. Liam Plunkett though has a Test century and can stick it out. Just needs to keep ticking the strike over. England 187/7 with five left to go.

You know it’s all going right for Pakistan when...

Also, where is Pakistan and what have you done with them?

This sums it up.

6.05 pm: RUN OUT. Pakistani fielders are now getting direct hits. Adil Rashid caught on the pads, Ben Stokes calls him over and can you believe it is Ahmed Shehzad who races and throws down the stumps in one clean action! WOW! England 181/7 now in 43.3.

Also a slower pitch, but take nothing away from their bowling.

Now, don’t blame the pitches....this has been serious good bowling (and bad batting).

No one. No one could dare to write their scripts. They exist in a vortex of chaos....

5.52 pm: Pakistan must remember though that England bat deep. Very deep. Adil Rashid is more than a handy batsman. They can’t let up. All in Stokes’s hands now. He’s been unusually slow, but you can’t blame him. 17 from 40, but at least, he’s survived. England 173/6, with nine overs left.

Check out the catch from Fakhar. Brilliant work.

I think that’s a question we all have, Arif...

Ahh, the same cornered tigers...

5.43 pm: SIX DOWN! Moeen Ali tonks a four but gets a top edge. Fakhar Zaman snatches a beauty in the deep. Pakistan are so switched on, it’s unbelievable! England tottering at 162/6 now!

But can England get 250?

We are going with this as our Shot of the Day:

Celebrate like Hasan Ali. Image credit: Reuters

5.33 pm: Moeen Ali plays and misses two delivers from Junaid, but finally gets an uppish drive away for four to bring up England’s 150. They are heaving now. 153/5.

Since Joe Root’s dismissal, England have lost three more wickets for just 25 runs. They’ve done that in 51 balls. Pakistan’s bowling with the old ball has been brilliant.

And this too...

5.23 pm: The drinks break jinx strikes again. It was Angelo Mathews in Pakistan’s last match, it’s Buttler now. Junaid nips it away slightly, Buttler puts out a straight bat and nicks it. Pakistan are on FIRE! 148/5 in 34.1

5.15 pm: No more wickets, but Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler aren’t inspiring a lot of confidence right now. Mostly blocking and trying to keep out this Pakistani fire from consuming them. 148/4 from 34.

Aaand...Pakistan. How many times do their bowlers do it for them? Just going from strength to strength.

5.07 pm: GONE! Eoin Morgan goes and it is Hasan Ali! Advances down the wicket, it’s wide and he nicks it behind to Sarfaraz. Pakistan’s pressure got to him. 141/4 in 31.4.

With that, he becomes the joint-highest wicket-taker in the tournament

Bet you haven’t seen Shadab described like this....

5.02 pm: Eoin Morgan pushes some of that pressure back with a sweet little reverse-sweep for four off Shadab. The spinners have done well for Pakistan so far. Haven’t let England off the hook. They are 136/3 off 30.

Sarfaraz can be quite unique behind the stumps..

4.51 pm: Oh big wicket! This time, it’s Shadab Khan! Joe Root tries to cut him but edges behind for 46. This is a massive blow for England. You beauty, Shadab. 128/3 in 27.3 overs.

Great celebrations from the Pakistani fans in Cardiff:

4.47 pm: The review goes England’s way again. Eoin Morgan goes for the reverse sweep, it pops up to slip. Umpire gives it out but it’s clear on review that it hit his forearm, not gloves. And Morgan continues...he’s steadily increasing his confidence. England 123/2 in 26 overs, partnership is now 43.

4.33 pm: Eoin Morgan finally drags a shortish delivery on his body for four on fine-leg. Apart from that, he’s been bogged down a bit. He’s 13 from 26. England are 107/2 in 23.

England will not be too concerned with the run rate. They have Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler in the hut. Big hitters. But commentators are saying that this used Cardiff pitch is a touch slower and not that easy to bat on.

Aah...but most people can’t touch Ali, can they?

4.23 pm: Since Bairstow’s dismissal, England have scored 13 runs in 21 balls and Eoin Morgan has already missed an attempted reverse sweep. Pakistan have applied pressure. England 93/2 in 20 overs, going just below five.

Good point there, Owais, if a little dry.

4.08 pm: WICKET! Dropped twice, but Bairstow’s charmed existence finally ends. The man is Hasan Ali who pitches it short and Bairstow just hits it into the air. Hafeez takes it and Pakistan are 80/2 in 16.3 overs!

Don’t we love the Hasan Ali celebration!

Bairstow was dropped in the last over off Shadab Khan where Babar dropped him at slip.

4.00 pm: Azhar Ali leaped but couldn’t hold on to one that Bairstow absolutely smashed! Shadab Khan almost got Root but it just evaded Babar Azam. Luck isn’t going Pakistan’s way and in all this, England are progressing nicely. Bairstow shows brute force and hammers Shadab back straight. 73/1 after 14.

You just knew the Raees vs Raees comparisons were coming, didn’t you?

3.45 pm: Imad Wasim has bowled two tight overs. Straight as an arrow. But Bairstow is settling in nicely and Joe Root has already hit a four. Slowly settling in England. 45/1 after 9.

A replay of that Hales dismissal:

Pakistan fans will love you, Sandipan.

3.30 pm: GONE! Pakistan finally break through. Too aggressive by Hales. Down the ground to debutant Raees but slices a catch to Babar Azam. He has his first wicket in ODI cricket! ENG 34/1 after 6.

The celebration still remains restrained, but he allows himself that smile!

3.20 pm: The review saves England again! Bairstow is caught in front and this time the umpire rules him out. This time, England review and the ball has pitched outside leg stump! England’s start going well. 24/0 after 4

This is a reaction to the previous lbw:

3.07 pm: SO CLOSE! First ball yorker from Junaid Khan, second ball nips back and strikes Jonny Bairstow in front. So close. Given not out and reviewed. It’s pitched in line but it’s umpire’s call on impact! Hales rubs it in by hitting a boundary last ball. 5/0.

2.50 pm: Who is Rumman Raees? Bustling left-arm pacer. And with an understated celebration to match!

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Also read, Pakistan’s new opening sensation Fakhar Zaman tells Saj Sadiq that there’s no pressure on Pakistan as they are underdogs.

2.40 pm: One victory for Pakistan already. Sarfaraz Ahmed wins the toss. Pakistan will bowl first.

“We have to play a positive brand of cricket to defeat Pakistan,” says Sarfaraz. And as expected, Mohammad Amir missed out because of a back spasm. A like-for-like replacement, left-arm pacer Rumman Raees replaces him.

Eoin Morgan isn’t too fussed. “We’d have batted first. This tournament shows that setting a target is not a bad idea in Cardiff. To play against an unpredictable team like Pakistan, you need to plan as if they’ll play at their best”. No Jason Roy on top of the order, Jonny Bairstow takes his place.

2.20 pm: This may not be great news for Pakistan. Amir was part of that burst with Junaid Khan against Sri Lanka which turned things around.

And this will make England even happier. Why do they look favourites? Because they’ve ticked every box, as Vinayakk pointed out after the win against New Zealand.

But the real takeaway from the win against New Zealand was how the English bowlers stepped up. As prolific as their batsmen have been in recent past, the bowlers were seen as the one chink in their armour. When they ended up conceding 305 to Bangladesh in the first match, that point was reiterated. To make matters worse, Chris Woakes limped out of the Champions Trophy campaign mid way through that match.

But, under admittedly more helpful conditions, Kane Williamson and Co found out that this England attack is more than capable on their day. Jake Ball, Liam Plunkett and Mark Wood barely gave an inch to the Kiwi batsmen. Captain Morgan spoke after the match about his team learned their lesson from the first half of the match, realising that the full ball had no merit with short straight boundaries in Cardiff. So, despite the windy conditions, the bowlers refrained from bowling full, resorting to hitting the deck instead.  

Pakistan...where to start? So much has been written about them. They were told that they had become timid house cats, a fall from their famous “cornered tigers” tag of 1992, after the loss against India. Then, we realised that there is no point analysing their cricket after the win against South Africa. Finally, they even made Sri Lanka do a Pakistan!

Perhaps that is the secret of Pakistan cricket. Impossible to analyse. Mostly painful to watch. But magical with its beauty on that rare occasion.  

2.00 pm: Good day and welcome to the reunion of the 1947 batch. Or, at least, that’s what they are calling the Champions Trophy semi-final line-up!

Staying on that theme, will the Empire strike back? Well, Pakistan are here at Cardiff to find out:

And forget 1947, they’ll probably be looking for a rerun of 1992.

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