England vs Netherlands Prediction: England have had worst title defence

England and Netherlands are going head to head in the 40th game of the ICC World Cup 2023 at Maharashtra Cricket Association, Pune, India on 8th November. England has performed the worst in their title defence with only one win in seven. At this rate, even the entry to the next Champions Trophy is in doubt. Can they turn things around? Both the teams will be playing for a spot in the Champions Trophy. Who will win this game?

The defending champions, England, have had a challenging Cricket World Cup title defense, suffering defeats in six out of seven matches. Their lone victory came against Bangladesh, and they faced losses against New Zealand, Afghanistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, India, and Australia.

Despite their slim chances of making it to the World Cup semi-finals, there is still a valuable opportunity to secure a spot in the next Champions Trophy. If England can move up from their current 10th position to at least seventh by the end of this tournament, they will secure a place in the Champions Trophy.

Dawid Malan, the opening batsman, and former captain Joe Root have been the leading run-scorers for England in this World Cup. Malan has accumulated 286 runs in seven innings, while Root has managed 177 runs in seven innings. However, the struggling form of Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, and other team members has left England without much-needed support.

On the bowling front, England has had to do without the injured Reece Topley. Leg-spinner Adil Rashid and seamer Chris Woakes have been the top wicket-takers in the tournament, with 10 and 8 wickets, respectively. Unfortunately, four of England's bowlers have been averaging over 50 in the tournament, which is considerably high.

Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (c & wk), Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

The Netherlands have managed to secure victories in two of their last five World Cup matches, keeping the underdog team in contention for a potential semi-final spot. Wins over South Africa and Bangladesh have demonstrated that the Dutch side has the potential to progress further in the tournament. However, they face a challenging task against England, even if their opponents are effectively out of the running.

Similar to England, the Netherlands can secure a place in the Champions Trophy if they finish this tournament among the top seven teams. They are eager to demonstrate to the International Cricket Council and the cricketing world that they deserve a spot in major limited-overs tournaments.

Sybrand Engelbrecht, a new addition to the squad, and team captain Scott Edwards have emerged as the leading run-scorers for the Netherlands at the 2023 Cricket World Cup. Engelbrecht, initially not part of the starting lineup, has solidified his position with an impressive 222 runs in six innings. Edwards, on the other hand, has contributed 204 runs in seven innings.

Seamers Paul van Meekeren, Bas de Leede, and Logan van Beek have all reached double figures in terms of wickets taken in this World Cup. All three will play pivotal roles against England, with particular focus on de Leede, who has already taken 11 wickets in six innings.

Wesley Barresi, Max ODowd, Colin Ackermann, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Scott Edwards (c & wk), Bas de Leede, Saqib Zulfiqar, Logan van Beek, Roelof van der Merwe, Aryan Dutt, Paul van Meekeren

The Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune, which made its international debut in 2013, has hosted a total of 10 ODIs. In these matches, the team batting second has secured victory in five of them, while the team batting first has also won five times.

In the ongoing World Cup, two out of the three matches played in Pune have been won by the team batting second. It is likely that the toss-winning captain in this match will also choose to field first.

Netherlands has never competed in an ODI at this venue, while England has played four ODIs here, with the most recent match dating back to 2021. This upcoming fixture will be the fourth out of five 2023 Cricket World Cup matches to be held at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. The previous three matches resulted in first-innings totals of 256, 241, and 357. Notably, in the last six ODI innings played at this ground, teams were dismissed entirely only twice. Consequently, selecting at least two specialist spinners can prove to be a wise choice.

The weather forecast for Pune indicates the possibility of rain on the day before the match and potentially heavier rain on the match day itself. This could lead to a shortened fixture, which would likely be advantageous for the team batting second. This match presents an opportune moment for Netherlands to secure their first-ever ODI victory over England, given England's subpar performance in the tournament. The Dutch team has already caused an upset by defeating South Africa in India.