England on Saturday won the toss in a crucial World Cup match against Pakistan and opted to bat first.
The match is being played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India.
At the toss, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam expressed his preference to bat first, but added that the toss outcome was beyond anyone’s control.
“We have a strong bowling attack, and our aim is to dismiss them as quickly as possible.”
Azam noted a change in the lineup, with Shadab Khan replacing Hasan Ali.
While Pakistan is mathematically still in the tournament, the practical likelihood of them qualifying for the semi-finals is close to impossible.
Placed fifth in the standings, Pakistan would need to beat England by either 284 runs or chase down the target in less than six overs if they bat second.
Meanwhile, England aims to secure their spot in the 2025 Champions Trophy by defeating Pakistan and avoiding dependence on the Australia-Bangladesh match outcome occurring simultaneously.
Pakistan’s desperate mission to keep their World Cup hope alive had been going on after a string of defeats against India, Afghanistan, Australia, and South Africa, following initial victories against Netherlands and Sri Lanka.
England: 1 Jonny Bairstow, 2 Dawid Malan, 3 Joe Root, 4 Ben Stokes, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Jos Buttler (capt/wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 David Willey, 10 Gus Atkinson, 11 Adil Rashid
Pakistan: 1 Abdullah Shafique, 2 Fakhar Zaman, 3 Babar Azam (capt), 4 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 5 Saud Shakeel, 6 Iftikhar Ahmed, 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Agha Salman, 9 Mohammad Wasim Jnr, 10 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 11 Haris Rauf
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