Pune, Nov 8: England posted 339 for 9 against the Netherlands in their World Cup match, riding on a hundred by Ben Stokes, here on Wednesday.

Opting to bat, Stokes slammed a 84-ball 108 while Dawid Malan (87) and Chris Woakes (51) made fifties as England batting finally came to the fore at the MCA stadium.

For the Dutch, Bas de Leede (3/74) was the pick among the bowlers while Aryan Dutt (2/67), Logan van Beek (2/88) and Paul van Meekeren (1/57) also chipped in.

Both the teams are out of the semifinal race.

Brief Score:

England: 339 for 9 in 50 overs (Ben Stokes 108; Bas de Leede 3/74, Aryan Dutt 2/67).

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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.