England will lock horns with Pakistan in match 44 of the Men’s World Cup ODI in Kolkata on Saturday, 11th November. The defending champions have had a disappointing campaign with two wins and six losses in eight games. Pakistan are having a moderate outing in the tournament but they are still in the race for the top four finish and qualify for the semifinal. The Men in Green have four wins and lost as many games in eight matches. In the points table, England are in the seventh spot with four points whereas Pakistan are at the fifth position with eight points.
In the Men’s World Cup ODI, England and Pakistan have faced each other 10 times since 1979. Three Lions won four out of these 10 games while the Men in Green emerged victorious on five occasions. One match ended in no result. The last encounter between the two teams in the tournament was in 2019 when Pakistan defeated England by 14 runs. The upcoming match is expected to be exciting as England will look to end their campaign on a high note while Pakistan will aim to keep their hopes alive for the semifinal by winning their final match in the league stage.
Players To Watch Out For
D Malan (ENG): D Malan seemed to have found his lost form in the last couple of matches. In the match against Australia, he scored 50 off 64 balls. This was followed by 87 off 74 balls against Netherlands. Malan is currently the leading run-getter for New Zealand in the ongoing Men’s World Cup ODI, aggregating 373 runs, including a century and two fifties, at an average of 46.62 in eight matches. He is the best-performing batsman for the Three Lions in the tournament. D Malan is a top-order attacking batsman who can quick runs in the powerplay and anchor the innings when needed. Malan will look to come up with goods again in the upcoming match against Pakistan.
F Zaman (PAK): The return of F Zaman to Pakistan’s playing XI has further boosted their batting line-up. Zaman’s attacking style of batting has been an advantage for the team at the top. The 33-year-old scored 81 off 74 balls in his comeback match against Bangladesh. This followed up with a brilliant unbeaten match-winning knock of 126 off 81 balls at a strike rate of 155.56. F Zaman played a crucial role in Pakistan’s two successive wins in the tournament. In the ongoing Men’s World Cup ODI, Zaman has scored 219 runs, including a hundred and a half-century, at an average of 109.50 and a strike rate of 128.82 in three matches. F Zaman has been in brilliant form since his return to playing XI and is expected to pose a threat to England’s bowling attack.
C Woakes (ENG): C Woakes is currently leading the pace bowling attack of England in the ongoing Men’s World Cup ODI. In the last match against the Netherlands, the 34-year-old scalped a wicket while conceding just 19 runs in his seven-over spell. In this tournament, Woakes has scalped nine wickets, including a four-wicket haul, at an average of 30.11 and an economy rate of 5.47 in seven matches. C Woakes has a good pace and also has the ability to deliver the ball at good line and length. Woakes can swing the ball in both ways, confusing the batsmen to judge the ball. He is currently the best pacer for England in the tournament. C Woakes will look to pose a threat to Pakistan’s batting line-up.
S Afridi (PAK): S Afridi has been the lead bowler for Pakistan in the ongoing Men’s World Cup ODI. However, the 23-year-old failed to live up to his reputation as a lethal pace bowler in the last match against New Zealand, going wicketless while conceding 90 runs at an economy rate of 9 in 10 overs quota. This was a rare from one of the bowlers in the current generation. One cannot deny that he is more dangerous than any bowler on a given day. In this tournament, S Afridi has scalped 16 wickets, including a five-wicket haul, at an economy rate of 5.76 in 8 matches. S Afridi has good speed and an ability to reverse swing the ball, making it challenging for batsmen to judge the ball. S Afridi will look to bounce back from a shoddy performance and pose a threat to England’s batting line-up.
A Rashid (ENG): A Rashid is currently the best bowler for England in the Men’s World Cup ODI. In the last match against the Netherlands, the 35-year-old took three wickets while conceding 54 runs in nine overs. In this tournament, Rashid has scalped 13 wickets at an average of 27.53 and an economy rate of 5.13 in 8 matches. He is the only spin specialist England have been relying on in this ongoing Men’s World Cup. Rashid has the ability to bowl in different variations. He is one of the reliable bowlers who can turn the match on its head by taking crucial wickets in the middle overs. A Rashid is expected to put on a tough challenge against Pakistan’s batting line-up.
Predicted Playing XI
ENG: D Malan, J Bairstow, J Root, H Brook, J Buttler (C/WK), S Curran, M Ali, C Woakes, M Wood, D Willey, A Rashid,
PAK: F Zaman, A Shafique, B Azam, M Rizwan, S Shakeel, I Ahmed, S Khan, H Ali, S Afridi, M Wasim, H Rauf
Fantasy Playing XI Picks
Wicketkeeper: M Rizwan
Batters: F Zaman, D Malan, B Azam, J Root, S Shakeel
All-rounders: C Woakes,
Bowlers: D Willey, S Afridi, M Wasim, A Rashid,
Prediction
Pakistan is expected to leave no stone unturned and come out with all blazing guns to win this fixture against England. Though qualification for the semifinal looks tough following New Zealand’s win against Sri Lanka, the Men in Green will be hoping to improve their Net Run Rate (NRR). Pakistan’s batting line-up looks far more stabilized compared to England’s batting unit. If Pakistan opts to bat first, they are expected to post a solid total on the board.
