ODI World Cup 2023: England vs Pakistan Weather Forecast and Pitch Report of Eden Gardens, Kolkata

England (ENG) and Pakistan (PAK) face each other at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday, November 11 in match 44 of the ODI World Cup 2023.

England have already been eliminated as they have had a forgettable campaign. The defending champions have won just two games and lost six out of the eight they have played. They lost five games on the trot before winning their previous encounter against the Netherlands. Sri Lanka couldn't do Pakistan a favour as they lost their game against New Zealand comprehensively to all but end the Babar Azam-led side's hopes of progressing to the semi-finals.

Irrespective of what is at stake, expect the two top cricket teams to put their best foot forward when they meet in the sports-fanatic city of Kolkata. There is very little chance of rain playing spoilsport. The forecast from weather.com suggests only a 5% chance of rain. Humidity will be only the higher side and the temperature is expected to be 32° Celsius during the day and drop to 26° Celsius at night.

England seek ICC Champions Trophy qualification, Pakistan look for miracle to get to semi-fina

The International Cricket Council (ICC) recently announced that the top eight teams on the points table, at the end of the league phase of the ODI World Cup 2023, will qualify for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy that is scheduled to be held in Pakistan. England were on the verge of not making it to the prestigious tournament as they were languishing at the bottom of the points table. However, their 160-run win against the Netherlands has catapulted them to the seventh spot. A win against Pakistan will ensure them a finish inside the top eight.

Pakistan do not have to worry about qualification for the Champions Trophy as they are the hosts and have qualified automatically. However, they had rekindled hopes of making it to the semi-finals of the World Cup after registering back-to-back wins against Bangladesh and New Zealand. However, after the Kiwis beat Sri Lanka comprehensively, the 'Men in Green' have been left with the herculean task of beating England by a mammoth margin. New Zealand have won five out of their nine games and have a net run-rate (NRR) of +0.743. A win for Pakistan against England will help them equal the Blackcaps on points. However, they will need to do the unthinkable to get their NRR of +0.036 above that of Kane Williamson's men.

To put things in perspective, if Pakistan bat first and score 400, they will have to restrict England to 112 to get their NRR above New Zealand. Meanwhile,, if England win the toss and bat first, Pakistan will have to chase the target in 2.4 overs, which is next to impossible.

Also Check: ODI World Cup 2023 Points Table