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England vs Pakistan predictions:
- Fakhar Zaman to score the most sixes in the game – 11/2 bet365
- Shaheen Afridi to be top Pakistan bowler – 13/5 Betway
- Jonny Bairstow to score under 28.5 runs – 5/6 BoyleSports
Pakistan need to beat England by 287 runs to qualify for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup semi-finals after New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka to edge their way towards the knockout phase.
The Black Caps have shored up fourth place in the World Cup standings following their victory over Sri Lanka, which means that Babar Azam’s men need a huge win over England to oust them.
Pakistan kept their hopes alive with back-to-back wins over Bangladesh and New Zealand, beating the Black Caps via DLS and a brilliant knock from Fakhar Zaman.
However, Pakistan will need to be flawless to defeat England by such a sizeable margin.
Although Jos Buttler and his team have been poor by their standards in the tournament, there have only been five results in ODI history where teams have won by the amount required.
On the bright side for Azam and his team, two such incidents have occurred at the 2023 World Cup as India crushed Sri Lanka and Australia defeated Netherlands.
UK bookmakers have made England narrow favourites in the Cricket World Cup odds, despite their woes in India after showing life in their win over Netherlands.
But unlike their opponents, Pakistan have it all to play for. Here are our betting predictions.
Another Zaman special?
Pakistan need to win the toss and bat in Kolkata to rack up a sizeable score. If they were to chase, the mathematics of net run rate would be against them.
Should that go to plan, Pakistan will need to produce the innings of their life to set a platform for their bowlers to skittle England. They would need at least 350 on the board, which they’ve only done on 10 occasions in ODI history.
Three of those scores have come against England, including twice ahead of the 2019 World Cup that both ended in defeat.
Pakistan only have a chance due to the heroics of Zaman in their win over New Zealand. He blasted 126 from 81 balls, scoring eight fours and 11 sixes to allow them to chase down their revised total.
Zaman has been excellent since his recall to the side after replacing Imam ul-Haq. On his day, the left-hander is one of the most dangerous players in white-ball cricket.
The 33-year-old did score a century against England in 2019, but his record since then has been poor, scoring one fifty in seven innings.
Pakistan need his six-hitting exploits once more, and we’re backing him to score the most sixes in the game at odds of 11/2 with bet365.
Tip: Fakhar Zaman to score the most sixes in the game – 11/2 bet365
Shaheen to dismantle fragile England
Shaheen Afridi had one of those days that fast bowlers can endure in white-ball cricket against New Zealand. The left-armer was smashed for 90 off his 10 overs and went wicketless as the Black Caps batters put 401 runs on the board.
Afridi is not the first bowler to suffer such treatment and won’t be the last. It has put a slight blemish on his performances at the World Cup, which until then had been excellent.
Afridi still averages 25.56 with 16 wickets to his name, although his hopes of finishing as the World Cup’s leading wicket taker are likely over unless he can produce something special.
The 23-year-old should be relishing the prospect of facing an out of sorts England batting line-up.
Outside of Ben Stokes and Dawid Malan, the rest of the unit cannot buy a run. Jonny Bairstow and Buttler are woefully out of form, while Root has not been much better.
For Pakistan to achieve the improbable, Afridi is going to have to take a page out of the book of the Pakistan greats of old, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, and dismantle the England line-up.
Afridi does have a poor record against England, taking seven wickets in seven games at an average of 54.57.
So, Azam needs a stellar outing from his best bowler, and with our second England vs Pakistan prediction, we’re taking Afridi to be Pakistan’s top bowler at odds of 13/5 with Betway.
Tip: Shaheen Afridi to be top Pakistan bowler – 13/5 Betway
Bairstow woes to continue?
Jonny Bairstow has had a World Cup to forget. The England opener has been extremely poor at the top of the innings, mustering only one half-century that came in the second game of the tournament against Bangladesh.
The failings of Buttler have overshadowed his struggles for England, but with several players pushing for a place in the white-ball side, Bairstow may be playing his last 50-over game at international level.
The 34-year-old has contrived to get out in almost every way possible, including his glance down the leg-side that resulted in a first-ball duck against Australia.
Bairstow has not given the best account of himself in the middle and looks far from the player that struck two centuries and two half-centuries in England’s run to the title in 2019.
He has failed to pass 30 in his last six innings, and his run line has been set at 28.5 by BoyleSports. Due to Bairstow’s poor form, we’re backing the under with our final England vs Pakistan prediction at odds of 5/6.
Tip: Jonny Bairstow to score under 28.5 runs – 5/6 BoyleSports
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Last Updated: 14th March 2024, 07:22 AM
