A confident albeit depleted England side is all set to kick off its upcoming 3-match ODI series against Pakistan, starting from 8 July at the Sophia Gardens Stadium in Cardiff. England will be missing the services of as many as 7 first-choice players due to a COVID-19 bout that struck the team right after the Sri Lanka series last week. Ben Stokes, who had originally been rested from the squad, is expected to be recalled and be named the England captain for this series. Here’s the information about Sophia Gardens Cardiff ODI Records Pitch Report for Eng vs Pak first ODI match.
Meanwhile, Pakistan will be competing in its first international white-ball series since May. Many of their players got some much-needed game time in the recently concluded Pakistan Super League (PSL). The men-in-green have a healthy mix of newcomers and veteran players lined up in their squad. Captain Babar Azam would be eager to replicate his success from their tour to South Africa from earlier this year and give their fans something to cheer for.
Sophia Gardens Cardiff ODI Records
The first ODI between England and Pakistan will be Cardiff’s first international 50-over game since the 2019 World Cup. Hosts England has enjoyed a fairly successful record at this ground, winning 8 out of the 12 completed ODIs that could produce results. Surprisingly, Pakistan has also fared reasonably well at this venue. Of the 5 ODIs they played at Cardiff, they managed to emerge victorious in 3 of them. One of those wins came in an important Champions Trophy semi-final match against England in 2017.
Historically, the ground has been more suited for chasing totals in the second innings; with teams batting second winning twice the number of matches than teams that batted first. Here’s a comprehensive run-down of all the relevant stats about the Sophia Gardens’ in the ODI format:
| Total matches | 28 |
| Matches won batting first | 8 |
| Matches won bowling first | 16 |
| Average 1st Inns scores | 225 |
| Average 2nd Inns scores | 210 |
| Highest total recorded | 386/6 (50 Ov) by ENG vs BAN |
| Lowest total recorded | 125/10 (34.1 Ov) by AFG vs RSA |
| Highest score chased | 304/6 (48.2 Ov) by PAK vs ENG |
| Lowest score defended | 169/10 (23.3 Ov) by ENG vs NZ |
Sophia Gardens Cardiff Pitch Report
Of the top-10 wicket-takers on this ground, 8 of those players are fast-bowlers; suggesting that the wicket here has a lot more for pacers than for spinners. Pakistan’s Hasan Ali (10 wickets) happens to be the second-highest wicket-taker on this surface, while England’s Adil Rashid (9 wickets) follows him as a close third. As previously mentioned, batting second seems to be the more successful route, suggesting that the team winning the toss will opt to bat first.
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Sophia Gardens Cardiff Weather Report
Traditionally a venue that has hosted several rain-marred games, thankfully, the prediction for Thursday seems quite optimistic. It’s going to be a sunny albeit slightly cloudy day, with temperatures hovering around 21 degrees Celcius. There’s going to be a fair bit of humidity too, at around 74 per cent. Fans can expect to enjoy a cracking contest in typical English overcast conditions.