TACTICAL PREVIEW
Follow UsWe have had 39 games so far in the 2023 World Cup, and don’t think anyone would have expected the Netherlands to have more points than England. The two teams are languishing at the bottom of the points table and are in danger of not qualifying for the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan. This is all there is to play for these two sides on Wednesday (November 8) in Pune.
Also read - Champions Trophy Qualification: Four teams fight for two remaining spots
The defending champions, England, have won only one of their seven encounters and have looked completely clueless in this showpiece event. Jos Buttler is averaging 15.14 with the bat and has looked like a shadow of himself, just like his team. Meanwhile, the Netherlands have won only one more game than England, but Scott Edwards and Co. have gone about their business in a much more organised way.
Things to watch out for
England can’t bat - Period
Do you know who have the second-worst batting average (23.4) and worst balls/dismissal (25) in this World Cup? It’s England. The defending champions have been terrible in the batting department, with Dawid Malan being the only batter with more than 200 runs, which is the least for a team in this tournament.
England batters have registered only seven 50+ scores in this World Cup, the lowest for a side till now. They have been bowled out for a total of below 200 runs thrice. They have also failed to etch good and long partnerships, having only six 50+ stands. Their batters have struggled against spin, and that has played a major role in their downfall.
They have lost the second-most wickets for a team against spin in this World Cup while having the joint-lowest average (20.8). England have lost five or more wickets against spin in an innings in three matches till now, most for a team. In the match against Afghanistan, they lost eight wickets to spin.
Apart from Malan, Root, and Ben Stokes, all other England frontline batters have an average of less than 25 against spin in this WC. Mind you, Stokes’ strike rate is just 66. England’s batting unit is filled with superstars and they would want to finish this competition on a high.
Bas de Leede’s poor returns with the bat
The ace all-rounder was supposed to be the Netherlands’ main man in the batting department but has been found out in this tournament. The 23-year-old started the World Cup with a bang, scoring 67 against Pakistan, but has only managed 50 runs since then at an average of 8.33 and a strike rate of 51.
De Leede was in great form prior to the World Cup, having scored 285 runs in seven innings at an average of 47.5 since the start of 2023. However, things haven’t gone as planned for him in this WC. His average of 16.7 is the second lowest among the middle-order batters in this World Cup. Him not firing has hurt the Netherlands big time in this event.
Ground details
The Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium has hosted three games so far in this tournament and the batters here have scored runs at an average of 40.1 and a scoring rate of 5.6, while a wicket has fallen every 42.9 deliveries. The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore is the only other venue with a higher batting average. The balls/wicket is the highest among all venues.
In the last game, South Africa slammed 357/4 against New Zealand and ended up defending it by 190 runs. The fast bowlers have picked up more wickets (24 at an average of 39.3 and a strike rate of 40.8) than spinners (12 at an average of 47.3 and a strike rate of 54.3). The latter, however, have been more economical - 5.1 vs 5.8.
Tactical Insights
- How about batting Root at No. 4? The right-hander started the competition with consecutive fifties but has failed to cross the 15-run mark in the last five games. The batter has struggled to bat inside the powerplay, with all of his last five dismissals coming in the first 10 overs. His five dismissals inside the first 10 overs in this WC are also the second most for a player and most for a non-opening batter.
The man is averaging just 6.6 in the powerplay in this World Cup, which drops to 4.5 if you are looking at his numbers from 2022. Root, however, is averaging 84 in the middle overs and is one of the few England batters who is good against spin. In this WC, he has scored 150 runs in this phase at a strike rate of 108.7 and is yet to be dismissed.
The two times he has got runs in this event, Root wasn’t exposed to the new ball. He walked in to bat in the eighth over against New Zealand and the 18th over against Bangladesh. In the remaining five games, he has walked in before the end of seven overs, and thrice inside three overs. If new ball is an issue, England could use Root at No. 4, where he has more than 2000 runs at an average of 41.08.
- If Vikramjit Singh doesn’t play, the Netherlands won’t have a single left-hander in their line-up and that would make Adil Rashid’s life easier. Nine of his 10 victims in this World Cup have been right-handers, against whom he is averaging 26.9. Against left-handers, the legspinner has an average of 62.
Probable XIs
England - Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (c & wk), Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood/Gus Atkinson.
Netherlands - Wesley Barresi, Max O’Dowd, Colin Ackermann, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Scott Edwards (c & wk), Bas de Leede, Saqib Zulfiqar/Ryan Klein, Logan van Beek, Roelof van der Merwe, Aryan Dutt, Paul van Meekeren.
