England vs Pakistan Toss Update, ICC World Cup 2023: PAK virtually eliminated after Jos Buttler opts to bat first

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England vs Pakistan Toss Update: England captain Jos Buttler opted to bat first after winning the toss against Babar Azam's Pakistan in match 44 of the ICC World Cup 2023 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday. The decision also virtually ended Pakistan's hope of reaching the semifinal.

The toss has a direct implication on Pakistan's already slender chances of making the semifinal as England batting first means the Men in Green will have to chase down any target set in 6.1 overs if they want to surpass fourth-placed New Zealand on net run rate. Pakistan captain stayed positive saying they will try to bowl out England early.

"We wanted to bat first, but toss is not in our hands," said Pakistan captain Babar Azam. "We have good bowlers and we would look to bowl them out cheaply. We have one change - Hasan Ali is not playing and Shadab Khan comes in his place."

While England, who are already knocked out, just took the fun out of the encounter by opting to bat first, Jos Buttler said the decision was tactical one as he finds the pitch a good one to bat on. He also have a special mention for pacer David Willey, playing his last international match for the Three Lions.

"Looks a good wicket, looks a bit dry and we want to make first use of it," Jos Buttler said. "We are going with the same team today. We are playing well together and would look to justice to ourselves. (On David Willey) Emotional day for him, he has been great for us. So, we talked about trying to enjoy it and take it all in."

England vs Pakistan Playing 11

England (Playing XI): Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler(w/c), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Gus Atkinson, Adil Rashid

Pakistan (Playing XI): Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Agha Salman, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf