ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023: Semi-final spot and Champions Trophy qualification at stake as England and Pakistan lock horns
It’s never over till it’s over. Such has been the case with deciding the fourth team that will qualify for the semi-final of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. With New Zealand almost a certainty, Pakistan, which will take on England on November 11 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, have a chance to make it to the semi-finals instead of the Kiwis. However, the margin with which they are supposed to beat England is not easy by any means. If Pakistan bats first, they have to win by a margin of 287 or more runs and if they bat second, they have to chase the target in 2.4 overs. On paper, anything is possible, but we all know that cricket is not played on a piece of paper but on a stretch of grass.
While the stakes of this match are very high for Pakistan, England will also take this game seriously as a win would strengthen their chances of qualifying for the Champions Trophy in 2025.
Head-to-Head
England and Pakistan have played 91 ODIs against each other between 1974 and 2021, of which England have won 56, Pakistan have won 32, and three matches did not produce results. In India, they have played two ODIs against each other with England and Pakistan winning one apiece. At the World Cups, the two teams have met 10 times. Pakistan have a 5-4 lead against England, with one match not producing a result.
| Particulars | England | Pakistan |
| ICC ODI Rankings | 6 | 4 |
| Wins in ODIs | 56 | 32 |
| In India | 1 | 1 |
| At World Cups | 4 | 5 |
Performance in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 so far..
England and Pakistan will play their ninth and last league match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. Of the eight matches, England have won two, whereas Pakistan have won four. Though England are out of the tournament, they will want to end the competition with a win to secure their place in the Champions Trophy 2025. On the other hand, Pakistan have an outside chance of qualifying for the semi-final, albeit they will need a miraculous performance.
| Match number | England | Pakistan |
| 1 | Lost to New Zealand by 9 wickets | Beat Netherlands by 81 runs |
| 2 | Beat Bangladesh by 137 runs | Beat Sri Lanka by 6 wickets |
| 3 | Lost to Afghanistan by 69 runs | Lost to India by 7 wickets |
| 4 | Lost to South Africa by 229 runs | Lost to Australia by 62 runs |
| 5 | Lost to Sri Lanka by 8 wickets | Lost to Afghanistan by 8 wickets |
| 6 | Lost to India by 100 runs | Lost to South Africa by 1 wicket |
| 7 | Lost to Australia by 33 runs | Beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets |
| 8 | Beat Netherlands by 160 runs | Beat New Zealand by 21 runs (DLS method) |
Squads
England: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Brydon Carse, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim.
Injury update
Pakistan’s right arm speedster Haris Rauf is suffering from rib injury and is likely to miss the England match.
Playing conditions
Eden Gardens in Kolkata will host the encounter between England and Pakistan. The venue will host its fourth match of this tournament. The teams batting first have won two of the first three matches played here. The pitch gets slower as the match progresses. Therefore, chasing could be difficult.
Weather
The weather is expected to be sunny. The maximum temperature attained during the day will be 32 degrees Celsius. There will be 2% cloud cover and 1% chance of rain. The wind will blow from the north-northwest.
Players to watch out for
Dawid Malan: The left-handed opening batter of England has been impressive scoring 373 runs in eight matches at an average of 47 and strike rate of 103.
Adil Rashid: The leg-spinner of England has been excellent in this tournament picking 13 wickets in eight matches. He has controlled the flow of runs in the middle overs by bowling disciplined lines and lengths.
Mohammad Rizwan: With 359 runs in seven innings at an average of 72 and strike rate of 99, the right-handed middle-order batter and wicket-keeper of Pakistan is the top run scorer for his team.
Shaheen Afridi: The left-arm pace sensation of Pakistan is the most successful bowler for his team with 16 wickets in eight matches. He has been bowling well with the new ball.
Milestones alert
- Joe Root needs 38 runs to complete 6500 ODI runs and 26 runs to complete 1000 runs in World Cups
- Jos Buttler needs 66 runs to complete 5000 ODI runs
- Dawid Malan needs 81 runs to complete 1500 ODI runs
- Adil Rashid needs 3 wickets to complete 200 ODI wickets
- David Willey needs 3 wickets to complete 100 ODI wickets
- Fakhar Zaman needs 9 runs to complete 3500 ODI runs
- Chris Woakes needs 1 wicket to go past Ian Botham (30), who has the most wickets for England in World Cups
Match details
Date: November 11, 2023
Time: 2:00 PM IST
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Live streaming: Star Sports, Hotstar
All the statistics are sourced from ESPN Cricinfo