We are here in the final 2 days of the Group Stage of World Cup 2023 and the second last day has two matches scheduled for the day.
- Australia vs Bangladesh (10:30 AM IST)
- England vs Pakistan (2:00 PM IST)
India, South Africa and Australia have qualified for the semifinals with the top 3 spots confirmed. New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka by a big margin and the 4th spot is almost certain and only a miracle can help Pakistan to play against India in the Semifinal 1.
Among the 2 matches of the day, here we would cover match 2 in detail and a Dream 11 team would be provided at the end.
Team Preview
England
England is surely among the top white ball teams in the last few years and their two tournament-winning tourneys (2019 and 2022) are proof of the same. But this time they haven’t played like the same English team and even their top 8 spot is not confirmed yet.
The top 8 teams of World Cup 2023 will play the Champions Trophy 2025 with the top 6 spots confirmed. If England defeats Pakistan, there are very high chances of them finishing in the top 8 as their Net Run Rate is better than the Netherlands by a pretty big margin. If Pakistan manages to do a miracle and qualify for the top 4, then England’s NRR would be behind Sri Lanka and England would be out of contention for Champions Trophy 2025.
Pakistan
Pakistan is most likely to finish at number 5 position once again like the 2019 World Cup. Only some batting exploits can save them tomorrow as they need to beat Pakistan by 288 runs to battle against India in Semi-Final 1. If they bat second, it would be a hypothetical situation (very unlikely to happen) which is not possible to tell at the moment.
They started their World Cup campaign with a bang defeating Netherlands and Sri Lanka (highest chase in World Cup history). They suffered annihilation from Arch Rivals India but the main turning point was defeat against Afghanistan. Even if they managed to take that last wicket against South Africa, Pakistan must have found itself in a better position.
Pitch Report
Eden Gardens has proven to be favourable for batting first, with an average first-inning score of 268 since 2011. Establishing partnerships will be crucial on this challenging pitch to set a competitive total.
Chasing has been challenging at this venue, as the average score drops to 187. The recent example of South Africa getting bundled out for 83 while chasing emphasizes the difficulty of chasing on this ground.
The slow pitch at Eden Gardens makes spinners significant contributors, with 21 out of 48 wickets taken by spinners in the World Cup 2023 matches held here. However, pacers can pose a potent threat, particularly in the initial overs. Balancing the bowling attack will be key for both teams in this upcoming match between Pakistan and England
Pitch Stats since 2011:
- Total Matches Played – 12
- Matches Won Batting First – 9
- Matches Won Batting Second – 3
- Average First Innings Score – 268
Probable Playing XI
Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Agha Salman, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf
England: Johnny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Harry Brooks, Jos Buttler (c) (wk), Moeen Ali, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Gus Atkinson
Players To Watch Out For
Fakhar Zaman
Fakhar’s role in this contest would be most vital. He has scored 219 runs in 3 matches with a Strike Rate of 129. In just 3 games, he has struck 18 sixes and is in the top 5 six hitters of the tournament.
The only reason Pakistan won against New Zealand (DLS) was Fakhar Zaman’s 126* in just 81 deliveries. Pakistan needs to eye a score of over 400 runs and bundle England under 110 runs. Fakhar needs to perform the same way once again so that Pakistan can achieve its target score.
Shaheen Afridi
Shaheen has taken 16 wickets in 8 matches with an economy of 5.76 and a fifer against Australia. Pakistan might score 400 runs but to keep their hopes alive, they even need to finish England under a very low score. So, for this, the role of their prime powerplay bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi will be most vital. If Pakistan manages to take 5 wickets in the first 10 overs, they might boost their chances.
Ben Stokes
Be it the 2019 World Cup final or 135* against Australia at Headingley in the same year 2019, Stokes has stood up for England when they needed him the most. In addition, he scored his first World Cup century in a previous game against the Netherlands. Stokes is one of the most clutch players in recent times and would be most important as England need a win to seal a top 8 spot.
ENG vs PAK Dream11 Team for Match 44 of 2023 WC
Note: This is not our final Dream11 Team as we are not aware of the Toss Result/Final Playing XI of both teams at this moment.
To remain updated and get our final Dream11 Team, Join our Telegram channel Clan For Gamers
