Match reports

ENGLAND v PAKISTAN

Toss: England

15-Apr-1993
Toss: England.

Rain deprived England of the emphatic victory expected when Pakistan were dismissed for their lowest total in limited-overs internationals, and the smallest by a Test country in the World Cup. The loss of three hours created a much stiffer target than the Pakistani batsmen had done. For the match to stand, a minimum of 15 overs had to be available to England; but as Pakistan's most successful 15 overs had yielded 62 of their 74 runs, under the rain rule the minimum target had to be 63. After a further shower it was set at 64 from 16, and England still needed 40 from eight when play was abandoned and the points shared. (They had already passed 23, the total which would have sufficed had they been asked to match the original 1.5 run-rate for 15 overs.) Five runs an over could have been a daunting task, with the evidence of Pakistan's precipitous collapse still on the scoreboard. The pitch, which had been covered during heavy rain the previous day, still encouraged swing and seam mightily, and Pringle captured three wickets for eight in 8.2 overs. Only Salim Malik, with three fours in 20 balls, seemed capable of handling the conditions, until the tail improved the score from 47 for eight. At 17 for one from six overs at lunch, when rain first intervened, England should have had few worries.

Attendance: 7,537.