MCA Stadium, Pune Pitch Report & Weather Forecast for ENG vs NED ICC ODI World Cup 2023 Match 40

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MCA Stadium in Pune will stage it's fourth match of the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 on Wednesday (November 8) when defending champions England and Netherlands play for pride in match 40 of the tournament.

England led by Jos Buttler come into the match on the back of one win and six losses in the ongoing show-piece tournament, while Scott Edwards-led Netherlands head into the match with a little better reacord of two wins and five defeats so far.

In the most recent outing, England suffered a 33-run loss to Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, where run-scoring was a challenge, while Netherlands lost by 7 wickets against Afghanistan on an equally challenging surface at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Now, the two sides are set to clash on a surface that is going to favour the batters, but is expected to assist some disciplined bowling as well, especially the new ball bowlers and the spinners in the middle overs.

Weather has not interrupted England's matches so far in the World Cup, but Netherlands' game against South Africa was truncated after rain delayed the start in Dharamsala. However, there has been no rain interruptions so far in Pune, where most ODI matches have been high-scoring affairs.

While there is slight threat of rain, the heat in the afternoon could also play a factor. So, how will the weather and pitch conditions be for ENG vs NED clash in Pune? Will rain or any other weather condition play spoilsport? Will dew be a factor in the match?

With some parts of India witnessing showers due to the retreating monsoon, here is a look at the Pune weather forecast and the MCA Stadium pitch report for ENG vs NED 40th ICC World Cup 2023 match:

Pune Weather Forecast on November 8

There is light threat of rain in Pune on Wednesday (November 8) and in the lead up to match. As per the latest IMD-GFS model, there is prediction for moderate rain or thunderstorms in Pune on November 8 and 9.

However, as per AccuWeather, there is no forecast for rain and it is expected to be a pleasant day with more sun than clouds, resulting in temperatures touching 31° C in the afternoon and reducing to 25° C heading into the closing stages of the match.

Also, dew is unlikely to have an impact in the games in Pune, meaning the team chasing is not going to have an extra advantage. But, how is the Pune wicket going to play after two games already being at the venue?

MCA Stadium pitch report for ENG vs NED World Cup match

Four of the 11 pitches, all prepared using black soil, are being selected by the ICC to be used for the 5 World Cup 2023 matches at the MCA Stadium in Pune, where three matches of the ongoing tournament have seen a mixture of performances.

The pitch used in the first match of the World Cup saw India cruise to the target before Bangladesh struggled to post a challenging total despite a decent start from the openers. The Indian bowling applied a stranglehold in the middle overs and also controlled most part of the death overs.

In the second match, all round bowling led by left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi's four-wicket haul restricted Sri Lanka to a below par 241 before trio of fifties saw Afghanistan ease to the target with 4.4 overs to spare.

In the third and most recent match, South Africa posted 357/4 before the bowling unit led by spinner Keshav Maharaj clicked to bundle out New Zealand for 167 in 35.3 overs on a wicket that was easier to bat on in the early stages.

6 of the 10 previous ODI matches at the venue have seen teams post over 300 runs when batting first. Even the teams chasing have posted over 300 in three of the ten innings so far, showing the batting friendly nature of the pitches in Pune. The average first innings score at the venue in 300.

Despite no big threat of dew, the teams chasing have had the edge over teams batting first at the venue. The captains will be tempted to continue the pattern on wickets which have seen 300+ targets being chased down twice in the four attempts so far.