Eden Gardens, Kolkata Pitch Report & Weather Forecast For ENG vs PAK ICC ODI World Cup 2023 Match 44

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Eden Gardens in Kolkata will stage it's fourth match of the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 on Saturday (November 11) when defending champions England face 1992 champions Pakistan in match 44 of the show-piece tournament.

Both Jos Buttler's England and Babar Azam's Pakistan come into the match on the back of comprehensive wins. While England defeated Netherlands by 160 runs at the MCA Stadium in Pune, Pakistan beat New Zealand by 21 runs (DLS Method) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

England bundled out Netherlands for 179 runs after posting 339 on a wicket that had slowed down as the game progressed in Pune, while Pakistan were helped by rain in their run chase of 401, which was truncated on a batting friendly wicket in Bengaluru.

Now, England and Pakistan will meet in Kolkata for the first time with a fresh sporting wicket likely to be used for the match. Pakistan have already seen rain affect play in the ongoing World Cup, but the same may not be the case in Kolkata on November 11.

With some parts of India witnessing showers due to the retreating monsoon, here is a look at the Kolkata weather forecast and the Eden Gardens pitch report for ENG vs PAK World Cup match:

Kolkata Weather Forecast on November 11

There is no threat of rain in Kolkata on Saturday (November 11) or in the lead up to match, according to AccuWeather, which forecasts a sunny and clear day with temperature at a high of 32° C at the start of play that will reduce to 26° C at the closing stages.

Weather Channel also forecasts similar conditions with zero percent chance of rain. So, weather is unlikely to interrupt proceedings on Saturday (November 11), meaning a full game can be played at the iconic venue.

While there is no rain, like many other venues in the 2023 World Cup, dew could be a factor in the later stages of the second innings in Kolkata, meaning the team chasing may have an extra advantage. So, how is the Eden Gardens pitch going to play? How will they cope with dew?

Eden Gardens pitch report for ENG vs PAK World Cup match

Four pitches of the nine strips have been selected by the ICC to host the five ICC World Cup 2023 matches, including the semifinal, in Eden Gardens in Kolkata. All the wickets at the venue have been prepared using black cotton soil, which helps retain the bounce.

The most recent games at the venue have seen a mixture of results with two ending in favour of the team batting first and the other in favour of the team chasing. All three matches have been played on different wickets that have assisted the quick bowlers in the early stages.

In the first World Cup 2023 match at the venue, an all round bowling effort from Bangladesh had restricted Netherlands to 229, but the Dutch pacers dominated proceedings under lights to bundle out the Tigers for a paltry 142 to seal an 87-run victory.

The second game at the venue saw Pakistan's pace battery bundle out Bangladesh for 204 before Fakhar Zaman returned in style to make short work of the run chase by taking the opposition pace attack on in the powerplay.

In the most recent match, India posted a good total of 326 on a challenging wicket before the bowling unit led by spinner Ravindra Jadeja returned to bundle out South Africa for 83.

The average first innings score in the 34 ODIs hosted by the venue is 237. Over the years, the teams batting first have had the advantage with spinners using the slowing surface as the game progresses. But recently even the quicks have found joy bowling under lights.

Dew is likely to be a factor helping the teams chasing, but sporting tracks have been prepared to stop one-sided matches. On a fresh wicket, the captains will be tempted to bat second despite the batting side's struggle in the most recent run chase.