England vs Pakistan Cricket World Cup 2023: Expected lineups, head-to-head, toss, predictions and betting odds

Pakistan will play their final group stage match of the 2023 World Cup against England at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday. 

Pakistan, after facing four consecutive defeats, managed to revive their semi-final aspirations in the ongoing World Cup with a remarkable turn of events.

In their recent match against New Zealand, they chose to field and conceded 401 runs. Despite the daunting target, Fakhar Zaman's exceptional innings of 126 off 81 balls propelled Pakistan to reach 200-1 in 25.3 overs. They secured a 21-run victory via the DLS method, showcasing a combination of luck and courage.

Fakhar Zaman has been a key contributor, scoring 126* and 81 in his recent appearances, bringing much-needed firepower to the team. Pakistan will rely on his outstanding form in the upcoming match against England.

Captain Babar Azam also displayed fine form, scoring an unbeaten 66 off 63 balls in the match against New Zealand. His fluent innings adds stability to the batting lineup.

However, they still have a lot to do as they need to beat England by 287 runs to overtake New Zealand on Net run rate. Whereas, if they bat second, they need to chase down the target in 16 balls, which means that they are virtually out of the tournament. 

England vs Pakistan: Predicted line-up

PredictedXIforEngland: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c & wk), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Gus Atkinson, Adil Rashid

PredictedXIforPakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Agha Salman, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf

England vs Pakistan: Head-to-head in ODIs

These two sides have faced off on 91 occasions, with Pakistan winning 32 times. 

England vs Pakistan: Toss

The toss will take place at 1:30 PM IST. 

England vs Pakistan: Weather forecast in Kolkata

Temperatures in Kolkata are expected to go as high as 33 degrees Celsius during the afternoon, but should cool down by the evening, to around 25 degrees. The chances of rain are minimal, and humidity is expected to be around 70%.

England vs Pakistan: Prediction for CWC 2023 match 

Pakistan appears to be hitting their stride at the opportune moment. The slow surface is expected to favour Pakistan against England, especially considering the latter's struggles with the bat against quality bowling line-ups.

For England to gain an advantage, it is crucial for their batsmen to exhibit resilience and challenge Pakistan's bowlers. However, even if the batters do the jobe, England's modest bowling attack might find it challenging to trouble Pakistan's formidable batting unit which is led by a resurgent Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam. 

With the added incentive of a Champions Trophy qualification berth, England may muster their best effort in this crucial encounter, while Pakistan will give their all to seal a semifinal spot. It will be a close call. 

England vs Pakistan: Betting odds for CWC 2023 match

According to the odds from Dafabet, England are the marginal favourites for this match.