Jos Buttler won the toss and chose to bat in Kolkata, leaving Pakistan with a slim chance of making it to the World Cup semi-finals. Pakistan would have needed to beat England by 287 runs if they batted first to surpass New Zealand on net run-rate, but that task is almost impossible. England maintained their winning team from their previous match against the Netherlands, while Pakistan brought in Shadab Khan to replace Hasan Ali.
At the toss, Babar Azam expressed a preference to bat first but acknowledged that the outcome was beyond their control. He emphasized the strength of Pakistan’s bowling attack and their aim to dismiss England quickly. The semi-final matchups are now set with New Zealand facing India and Australia taking on England. The teams for the match are listed as well as the match officials.