England defeated the Netherlands by 160 runs thanks to three-wicket hauls from Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali, as well as Ben Stokes' maiden World Cup century. With the win, England moves up to seventh position for the time being and is now squarely in the running for a berth in the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Choosing to bat, England amassed 339 for 9 before coming back to dismiss the Dutch for 179 runs in 37.2 overs, preserving their chances of qualifying for the Championship Trophy. Once more, England was spared from a middle-order collapse by Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes.
While Stokes hammered an 84-ball 108, Woakes scored 51. In response, Scott Edwards (38) and Wesley Barresi (37), Sybrand Engelbrecht (33), and Teja Nidamanuru (41 not out) were the leading scorers but were unable to build on their beginnings.
That's Paul van Meekeren perplexed by miles and miles. The Netherlands were defeated by England by 160 runs. They have the winning margin and the points necessary to move up to seventh place. Something to cheer about in what has been a challenging competition for them.
An emphatic win in Pune breaks the streak of five straight #CWC23 losses for England ?#ENGvNED ?: https://t.co/03fpOlFJkO pic.twitter.com/EPNbrecZVW
— ICC (@ICC) November 8, 2023
Spinners Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid got three wickets apiece to remove the middle order and then clean sweep the tail. How England would love it if most games proceeded like this, with the spinners taking the wickets and Ben Stokes bringing up the rear with a century.