World Cup 2023, Match 44 | Pakistan Prediction XI vs England

image-losl16kqPakistan will be playing England in the 44th match of the World Cup 2023 (Source: AP Photos)

As we approach the final doubleheader in the ongoing 2023 World Cup, Pakistan and England collide against one another in the iconic Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

England have finally found some positivity after earning a victory over Netherlands in their last match. Ben Stokes scored a hundred and Dawid Malan got some runs under his belt. They would be hoping to finish the tournament with some pride and give them the best possible chance to make it to the top seven in the league table to strengthen their chance of qualification for 2025 Champions Trophy.

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Pakistan are still in the race for the semi final but by a bare margin. Two wins over Bangladesh and New Zealand have put them in just behind New Zealand in the points table tally. The Black Caps' dominating win over Sri Lanka took them to a NRR of +0.743. Pakistan are two points shy from catching up the Kiwis and even a win won't be enough. Their current NRR is +0.036.

Babar Azam and his men have a mountain peak to climb. The equation is such that- if Pakistan gets to 400, then they need to bundle England for 112 or less to qualify. If they get 300 runs after batting first, Pakistan need to limit England by 62.

Let us have a look at the Pakistan Predicted XI for this clash against England.


Openers: Abdullah Shafique and Fakhar Zaman

Pakistan have often changed their opening combination in recent times. But the pair of Abdullah Shafique and Fakhar Zaman seems to be the best at the moment. Imam-ul-Haq did lose his form in the tournament but Zaman has picked him up and played some rollicking innings. One of them being the quick century he notched up in the last game against New Zealand. His contribution helped Pakistan go past the DLS par score in Bengaluru and seal a win.

Zaman will be key with the bat once again and shall be partnered with Shafique. The right-handed batter is their second-highest run-scorer of the tournament with 336 runs from seven innings. He has racked up three fifties and a ton against Sri Lanka.


Middle Order: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel

The skipper is definitely going to be an integral component of the Pakistan team. Babar played some fine innings in crunch games. He scored four half-centuries in the campaign, two of them came against India and New Zealand.

Mohammad Rizwan is their leading run-scorer of the World Cup. He is the only batter to go past the 350 milestone mark from seven innings. The wicketkeeper batter scored a century against Sri Lanka earlier and led his side to victory. He backed up with some forty-plus scores and is an important asset to the team.

Saud Shakeel has been impactful in the middle order for Pakistan. Quite often he displayed grit and stabilised the ship to avoid an unnecessary collapse.


All-rounders: Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan and Muhammad Nawaz

Pakistan may bring back Muhammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan for this match against England. The Eden Gardens, Kolkata has favoured both spinners and pacers. It seemed to be on the slower side in the last game here between India and South Africa. In such a case, Shadab and Nawaz can be a utility factor against an English side that does not play spin very well.

Iftikhar Ahmed will be their finisher with the bat. He did play a few cameos in the World Cup. However, Iftikhar's contribution with part-time spin is one to appreciate.


Bowlers: Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Wasim Jr.

Shaheen Afridi will be leading the Pakistani bowling department. He has claimed 16 wickets from eight matches and also fetched a fifer in the tournament. Afridi, who is known as a new ball threat, has been influential in the second powerplay also. Haris Rauf has gone for runs but brings the X Factor. Hasan Ali may miss out while Wasim Jr may retain his position in the playing XI. He bagged eight wickets in his last three matches that includes two three-fers.


Pakistan Predicted XI against England

Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Mohammad Wasim Jr.