[Watch] David Willey takes 100th ODI wicket in his final international game as England beat Pakistan in 2023 World Cup clash
In what was his final day in international cricket, England left-arm seamer David Willey had a stellar game to finish his ODI career with 100 wickets. The 33-year-old's 100th scalp in the format came in the 2023 World Cup clash against Pakistan at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. He dismissed Agha Salman in the 37th over of the innings.
Willey announced before the clash against Australia that he would retire from all forms of international cricket after the 2023 World Cup. The left-arm bowler came into England's final league match three wickets short of the 100-mark.
Salman started the 37th over with two consecutive boundaries, but miscued a shot to mid-on as Ben Stokes took a fairly comfortable catch to dismiss the batsman for 51.
Earlier in the day, England delivered another excellent batting performance after Jos Buttler won the toss, virtually ending Pakistan's hopes of reaching the semis.
Openers Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow put on 82 for the first wicket. The most significant partnership was between Joe Root and Ben Stokes for the third wicket, as the pair added 132, with the latter top-scoring with 84.
The lower-order batters played some good cameos to lift the defending champions to 338-9 in their allotted 50 overs.
In reply, Pakistan were bowled out for 244 in 43.3 overs, with Willey playing a starring role. He picked up figures of 3/56 in his 10 overs.
In fact, it was the retiring seamer who dented Pakistan's hopes of a successful chase by picking up the first two wickets to fall. Willey dismissed both Abdullah Shafique and Fakhar Zaman in his first two overs to demolish any chances the opposing team had of chasing down the steep target.
"Made my decision a lot easier" - David Willey reveals the reason for retirement
A few days ago, David Willey stated that missing out on a central contract from the England Cricket Board (ECB) prompted him to retire. The left-arm seamer told Sky Sports:
"Upset, angry, disappointed. I think that, for me, made my decision a lot easier. These conversations around contracts all happened before we came out [to the World Cup]. I knew I was the only one that didn't have one. It was difficult. I felt, with two World Cups in 12 months, and knowing my position in the squad should there be injuries or whatever, I'd have a chance."
Willey ends his international career with 100 ODI wickets from 73 games. In the T20I format, he played 43 matches and took 51 wickets.