ODI World Cup 2023, Match 44: England vs Pakistan Match Preview

The action in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 is in its final stages as England and Pakistan will take on each other in Match 44 on Saturday, November 11 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. England are coming into the game having won their last fixture against Netherlands by 160 runs. Courtesy of their win, they jumped from the last spot to the seventh spot on the points table with two wins from eight matches having two points to their name.

On the other hand, Pakistan are coming into the game having won their last two fixtures against Bangladesh and New Zealand respectively. The Babar Azam-led side find themselves on the fifth spot on the points table with four wins from four matches having eight points to their name. The Men in Green have a very slim chance of making it to the semi-finals as they need to do something similar as pulling a rabbit out of a hat.

Pakistan need to defeat the defending champions by a margin of 287 runs if they’re batting first and need to chase down a target of 50 in 2 overs if they’re bowling first. Both of the scenarios, look highly unlikely and Pakistan’s journey in the ODI World Cup 2023 looks all but over. However, they will still look to try their luck in the last fixture and end their campaign on a high.

Also Check: Most Wickets in ODI World Cup 2023

Meanwhile, England also have a lot to play for in the last fixture as they desperately need a win to finish in the top eight and qualify for the Champions Trophy 2025. Hence, both teams still have a lot to play for in the upcoming fixture and the contest promises to be another enthralling affair for the fans.

Eden Gardens Pitch Report

Out of the last five matches played at the venue, three have been won by teams batting first. The average first-innings score has been 245 while the highest target chased in the history of the venue was 316 by India vs Sri Lanka in 2009. The captain winning the toss is likely to bat first keeping the recent records of the venue in mind.

ODI World Cup 2023: ENG vs PAK Probable Playing XI, Match 44

Having won their respective previous games, both teams will not be willing to make change to their winning combination and are likely to keep the same playing XI in the upcoming fixture.

England (ENG):

Predicted XI: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c & wk), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Gus Atkinson, Adil Rashid

Pakistan (PAK):

Predicted XI: Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Agha Salman, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf

ENG vs PAK ODIs Head-to-Head Records: