CWC 2023: Netherlands To Field First in Must-Win Clash with England | Here’s The Playing XIs

England will bat first after captain Jos Buttler won the toss ahead of their clash with Netherlands in Pune at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023.

Jos Buttler flipped the coin, and it landed in his favour. England elected to bat first, with Harry Brook and Gus Atkinson returning to the side in place of Liam Livingstone and Mark Wood.

Scott Edwards believed that he too would have batted first on this surface, but wasn't too concerned at being made to field. For them, Teja Nidamanuru came in for Saqib Zulfiqar.

Netherlands are out to secure a crucial third victory at the Cricket World Cup as they face England at MCA International Stadium in Pune.

A triumph over the World Cup titleholders would move Netherlands to six points and within reach of the critical fourth spot that will claim a place in the knockout stages alongside India, South Africa and Australia.

Netherlands can like their chances against an out-of-form England that have slumped to the bottom of the standings, though Scott Edwards' side will also need to defeat hosts India in the last match of the group stage to stand any chance of progressing.

The outcome of this clash carries extra weight for both teams with a spot in the ICC Champions Trophy also on the line, as only the top eight sides at the end of the World Cup qualify for the next 50-over event in 2025.

While England will be focused on turning around their form to claim the victories that might achieve that goal, a Netherlands' win in this encounter will allow them to all but book their tickets to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy in 2025.

Playing XIs

England: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Harry Brook, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (c) (wk), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Gus Atkinson

Netherlands: Wesley Barresi, Max O'Dowd, Colin Ackermann, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Scott Edwards (c) (wk), Teja Nidamanuru, Bas de Leede, Logan van Beek, Roelof van der Merwe, Aryan Dutt, Paul van Meekeren

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