Ben Stokes, Bairstow power England to 337-9 against Pakistan in WC
Kolkata, November 11: England scored a competitive 337 for nine against Pakistan in their last game of what has been a forgettable World Cup campaign, here on Saturday.
Batting first, Jonny Bairstow (31) and Dawid Malan (59) added 82 runs for the first wicket before star all-rounder Ben Stokes smashed 84 runs in 76 balls with the help of 11 fours and two sixes.
Joe Root compiled a neat 60 in 72 balls. The pair of Stokes and Root stitched 132 runs for the third wicket to power the defending champions, who will be returning home after this game.
For Pakistan, Haris Rauf took three wickets for 64 runs while Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Wasim took two apiece.
Brief Scores:
England: 337/9 in 50 overs (Ben Stokes 84, Joe Root 60, Jonny Bairstow 59; Haris Rauf 3/64).
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Allahabad HC orders probe into 'reinstatement' of teacher in UP's Barabanki
Lucknow (PTI): The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on Friday ordered a probe by the special task force (STF) into alleged irregularities in the rejoining of a teacher at City Intermediate College in Barabanki, observing that the reinstatement appeared to be prima facie illegal.
The court also directed the recovery of the salary paid to the teacher during the disputed period.
A bench of Justice Rajeev Singh passed the order on a petition filed by the college management committee. The court expressed doubts over the roles of the District Inspector of Schools (DIOS), Barabanki, the college principal and the teacher concerned and hence, directed a detailed inquiry into the matter.
Taking note of alleged manipulation of records and misleading submissions, the court ordered the immediate transfer of the Barabanki DIOS to ensure a fair probe. It also directed the initiation of disciplinary proceedings against the then joint director of education of the Ayodhya division.
In its order, the court found that the teacher, Abhay Kumar, was initially appointed as an assistant teacher in 2018 but joined an Eklavya Model Residential School in Chhattisgarh as a lecturer in June 2024 without obtaining permission from the management. His subsequent request to retain the lien was rejected.
Despite this, he was allowed to rejoin the Barabanki College in September 2025 on the directions of the joint director of education and the DIOS, and was even paid the salary for October 2025. The court termed the rejoining "wholly illegal" and lacking any legal basis.
The bench also expressed concern over lapses in communication within the education department and directed the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary to ensure that official orders are communicated through email and WhatsApp as well, to prevent disputes.
The matter is next listed for hearing on May 28 when a compliance report is sought.
