Ekana Stadium, Lucknow Pitch Report & Weather Forecast for NED vs AFG ICC ODI World Cup 2023 Match 34

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Ekana Stadium in Lucknow is set to host it's fifth and final match in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 when confident sides clash as Netherlands take on Afghanistan in match 34 on Friday (November 3).

Scott Edwards' Netherlands head into the match on the back of a stunning win over Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, while Hashmatullah Shahidi's Afghanistan also secured an upset win over former champions Sri Lanka at the MCA Stadium in Pune.

Eighth-placed Netherlands opened their campaign with successive defeats on batting friendly pitches in Hyderabad before they stunned high-flying South Africa in a truncated match at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on a wicket that had some life for the pacers.

Netherlands then lost to Sri Lanka on a testing surface in Lucknow, where they face Afghanistan. After that, they were handed a thumping loss by Australia in a batter's paradise at the Arun Jaitley Stadium before getting back to winning ways against Bangladesh on challenging wicket in Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

Afghanistan on the other hand, failed to score runs on decent wickets in Dharamsala against Bangladesh and against India in Delhi where they stunned England a few days later. But once again alternated win and loss in Chennai against New Zealand and Pakistan respectively.

In their most recent match, sixth-placed Afghanistan got the batter of Sri Lanka on a good batting wicket in Pune, where bowlers found a little joy especially the quicks with the new ball and the spinners as the ball got older in the first innings.

Both sides have played their matches on different surfaces so far. This will be the first outing for Afghanistan at the Ekana Stadium, which may be a good venue for the Afghan spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad.

The four matches hosted at the Ekana Stadium has seen mixed results so far with the first match seeing a team stutter in a steep run chase, while the second saw the team batting first struggle to get runs on the board.

The third match saw a team chase a target of 250 plus with ease, but the fourth match saw a team struggle to reach a small target of 230 as both spinners and seamers dominated play. A similar surface could be on offer when Netherlands meet Afghanistan on Friday (November 3).

While most matches have taken place without much interruption, one of the matches in Lucknow saw a small stoppage due to rain. And with some parts of India witnessing rain over the last few days, will rain play spoilsport? And how will the wicket play in Ekana Stadium?

Here is a look at the Netherlands vs Afghanistan match details from the Lucknow Weather Forecast and BRSABV Ekana Stadium Pitch Report for the NED vs AFG ICC World Cup 2023 Match 34:

Lucknow Weather Forecast on November 3 For NED vs AFG World Cup Match

AccuWeather forecasts hazy sunshine and moonlight with temperatures at 31° C during the start of the day match, reducing to 23° C in the closing stages. There is no threat of rain on November 3 and in the lead up to the match. So, rain will not play spoilsport in NED vs AFG.

Dew has been a factor in the later stages of the match at this venue, which has been known for producing some low-scoring games in the limited matches hosted here till the first match saw a team cross 300-run mark. So, will the wicket be a similar one or the one used in the other games?

Ekana Stadium Pitch Report For NED vs AFG ICC World Cup 2023 Match

The wickets at the Ekana Stadium had produced many low-scoring games, favouring the spin or slower bowlers. But the wickets being used for the World Cup are fresh and prepared using black soil.

The freshly prepared wickets have seen run-scoring at ease either in the second innings in two matches or first innings in one match. The record stands at 2-2 for teams chasing and batting first at this venue in the ongoing World Cup.

The only times a team failed in the chase was when Australia tried to chase down 312 against South Africa, and England failed in their run chase of 230 against India. However, the Australian side chased down 210 with ease against Sri Lanka, who later eased to their target of 263 against Netherlands.

Overall, the average score batting first in ODIs at this venue bumped to 217 from 188. Also, it's an even share of 4 wins each for teams chasing and teams batting first here. With NED vs AFG being a day-night game, there may be dew later in the match, tempting the captains to chase.

Afghanistan, who have chased well, however, may look to get runs on the board and trouble the Dutch batters with their slowers bowlers, especially their spin trio, which will definitely be a threat in the Lucknow wicket as they aim to get to eight points.