England will take on Netherlands in match number 40 of the 2023 ODI World Cup at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Wednesday, November 8. This match will be crucial for both sides, keeping the 2025 Champions Trophy qualification in mind. Defending champions England have already been knocked out of the World Cup, while the Dutch are still mathematically in with a chance of finishing in the top four. Practically, though, it is very difficult. They, too, should thus aim for a 2025 Champions Trophy berth.
England took on their Ashes rivals Australia in their previous encounter at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, going down by 33 runs. Bowling first, England did reasonably well to restrict a strong Aussie batting line-up to 286. However, it has been their batting that has been their Achilles’ heel in the tournament, and it again let them down. As for the Netherlands, they came second best in the Afghanistan challenge, going down by seven wickets. Batting first, they were bowled out for 179, a score the Afghan side chased down in 31.1 overs. Here are player battles to watch out for in the England-Netherlands match.
Dawid Malan vs Logan van Beek
England opener Dawid Malan has played a couple of good knocks. But like most of the others in the batting order, he, too, has failed to live up to expectations. After being dismissed for 14 against New Zealand, he hammered a brilliant 140 versus Bangladesh. In his next four innings, though, he registered scores of 32, 6, 28 and 16. The left-hander got another start against Australia and reached 50 but fell immediately after that. Is the big knock around the corner for Malan? It has been a long wait.
Logan van Beek has been a definite positive for the Netherlands with the ball. He has picked up 10 wickets in six matches so far, going wicketless in only one of the matches, registering figures of 0/57 against Netherlands. He claimed 3/60 against South Africa and also picked up 4/74 against Australia. The Dutch pacer has the knack of claiming crucial wickets. Can he get rid of Malan early and deliver England a big blow?
Max O’Dowd vs David Willey
The failures of talented opener Max O’Dowd have been among one of the major disappointments for the Netherlands in the 2023 World Cup. The Dutch had high hopes from him, but he just has not been able to live up to them. 29-year-old O’Dowd has failed to register a single half-century in the ongoing edition of the World Cup. His scores in the Netherlands’ first six matches read 5, 16, 18, 16, 6 and 0. The opener found some touch at last, scoring 42 in the game against Afghanistan. However, he could not convert the start into a big one, as he was run out by a brilliant direct hit.
The retiring David Willey has done a decent job for England with the ball. The 33-year-old left-arm pacer has played four matches and has claimed six wickets in it. When not taking wickets, he has done reasonably well to keep things tight. After beginning with 0/61 against South Africa, he claimed 2/30 against Sri Lanka and 3/45 versus India. In the game against Australia, he registered figures of 1/48. Can he dismiss O’Dowd early?
Jos Buttler vs Roelof van der Merwe
Jos Buttler, one of the most destructive limited-overs batters in the game, has been one of the biggest disappointments of the 2023 World Cup. He has not looked in any kind of batting form at all, and his woes have coincided with that of England’s. Buttler began the World Cup with a decent 43 against New Zealand in a losing cause. He has, however, failed to better it. His next best score was 20, which came against Bangladesh. In the last five innings, he has only managed 9, 15, 8, 10 and 1. Can Buttler find a way to revive his form and score some runs against the Netherlands?
38-year-old veteran left-arm spinner from the Netherlands, Roelof van der Merwe, just keeps going on and on. He might not have tasted the amount of success he might have liked in the World Cup, but it has never been for lack of effort. Van der Merwe has claimed five wickets in the tournament so far, but it’s a fact that he loves a challenge. Bowling to Buttler will be one, even though the latter is not in great form. Can he come up with trumps in the battle?
Sybrand Engelbrecht vs Adil Rashid
35-year-old Sybrand Engelbrecht has been one of the big plusses for the Netherlands in the batting department. He has come in and held the innings together on a few occasions. He scored a defiant 70 off 82 balls in the match against Sri Lanka. In the Netherlands’ last two games, he has chipped in 35 and 58 against Bangladesh and Afghanistan, respectively. He will look to continue his good form.
Engelbrecht will be challenged by Adil Rashid if the two come face to face. Even as England have struggled, the leg-spinner has been consistent with his wicket-taking ability. He picked up a three-for against Afghanistan, two against South Africa, and two each against India and Australia. The wicket of the in-form Dutch batter Engelbrecht could be on his list.
Scott Edwards vs Chris Woakes
Netherlands skipper Scott Edwards has played a couple of very good knocks for his side. He scored an unbeaten 78 off 69 balls in the famous win over South Africa in Dharamsala. Edwards also contributed a valiant 68 in the impressive 87-run win over Bangladesh. After a poor game against Afghanistan, he will be keen to produce the goods again.
England pacer Chris Woakes has found form in the last couple of games. He picked up 2/33 against India and 4/54 versus Australia. It may be a bit too late for the World Cup, but Woakes can still play a role in England’s qualifying for the Champions Trophy. He will look to snare Edwards if he bowls to him.