MCA Stadium, Pune Pitch Report & Weather Forecast for NZ vs SA ICC ODI World Cup 2023 Match 32

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MCA Stadium in Pune will stage it's third match of the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 on Wednesday (November 1) when semifinal spot chasing heavyweights New Zealand and South Africa clash in match 32.

New Zealand led by Tom Latham come into the match on the back of four wins and two losses in the ongoing show-piece tournament, while Temba Bavuma-led South Africa also come into the game with a little better record of five wins and one defeat so far.

New Zealand suffered a 5-run loss in a high-scoring match against Australia in Dharamsala, where it was a treat for the batters, while South Africa beat Pakistan by 1 wicket on a challenging surface in Chennai, where run-scoring was hard to come by.

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 New Zealand's matches so far in the World Cup, but South Africa's game against Netherlands was truncated after rain delayed the start in Dharamsala. However, there is no threat of rain in Pune, where most ODI matches have been high-scoring affairs.

While there is no threat of rain, the heat in the afternoon could play a factor. So, how will the weather and pitch conditions be for NZ vs SA 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 NZ vs SA 32nd ICC World Cup match:

Pune Weather Forecast on November 1

There is no threat of rain in Pune on Wednesday (November 1) or in the lead up to match. It is expected to be a day with plenty of sunshine, resulting in temperatures touching 33° C in the afternoon and reducing to 24° 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 NZ vs SA World Cup match

There are 11 pitches, all prepared using black soil, in the MCA Stadium in Pune. However, only 4 of the 11 wickets are believed to be used for the 5 World Cup 2023 matches. The black soil wickets offer more bounce and remain the same for most part of the match.

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.

5 of the 9 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 seven innings so far, showing the batting friendly nature of the pitches in Pune. The average first innings score at the venue in 294.

The teams chasing have had the edge over the 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 three attempts so far.