South Africa will look to bounce back in the second ODI against England at the Rose Bowl this Saturday.
England will look to take an unassailable 2-0 lead against the Proteas in their three-match ODI series when the sides meet at the Rose Bowl on the English South Coast this Saturday.
AB de Villiers and his men will be quietly confident heading into this match having never lost a match at the venue, while England’s recent form in Southampton has left much to be desired.
England vs South Africa | Saturday 27 May 2017 | The Rose Bowl, Southampton | 12:00
To Win Match
England 82/100 | Tie 35/1 | South Africa 1/1
England
The English will be pretty pleased with their first outing against the Proteas. An excellent 72-run win in which their batting depth really came to the fore. Moeen Ali’s 51-ball 77 was evidence of this, with the bearded all-rounder walking out to the crease at sixth drop with the score on 198-5 after 34.1.
Most pleasing for English fans, however, will be the excellent century scored by their Irish-born captain, Eoin Morgan. The Dublin native managed an outstanding 93-ball 107, holding the English innings together as the side reached 339-6 in their 50 overs.
The attack performed well too, with everyone returning decent figures with the exception of Mark Wood who conceded 49 in his six overs. Wood is likely to keep his place in the side with Ben Stokes unlikely to play with a bit of pain in his knee.
This opens up the door for Jake Ball to add to his eight ODI caps. The Nottinghamshire quick had a decent series against Ireland but will need to step it up against a very strong South African side. Alternatively, they could replace Stokes with Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root to eat up a couple of overs in the middle section of the South African innings.
South Africa
The South Africans were seriously let down by shot selection last time out. JP Duminy, David Miller and Chris Morris threw their wickets away in a chase that seemed doomed as soon as Faf du Plessis and Hashim Amla departed the scene.
A more mature approach is required, especially with the Champions Trophy on the horizon. Morris’ dismissal was particularly disappointing – after smashing Moeen Ali down the ground for four, his attempted reverse sweep saw the ball hit the toe of the bat and loop up for Buttler to take the simplest of catches.
Duminy was disappointing with the bat while his bowling never really set the world alight. He could well make way for the Dwaine Pretorius for the second ODI. The change will allow Miller to come in at five while adding more solidity to the lower middle order.
I’d also like to see Morne Morkel get a run in the side. I’m not really sure who would make way for the lanky quick – something I’ll leave to de Villiers and Domingo to figure out. His pace and bounce always causes problems for opposition batsmen and might be exactly what the attack needs when it’s bereft of ideas against a strong English top and middle order.
Verdict: South Africa 1/1
Again, these sides are too evenly matched – on paper at least – for me to call this with confidence. That said, England’s recent record at the Rose Bowl doesn’t make for pretty reading if you’re Trevor Bayliss – five losses and a win in their last six matches. Back the Proteas to right the wrongs of their last performance.
Value Bet: Hashim Amla to top score for South Africa at 33/10
The second match in a row where I’m more confident in the value bet than I am in the actual verdict. Hash is different class when he plays in England. He also scored a magnificent 150 in 2012 last time he played at the ground. Back him again at 33/10 to top score for the Proteas.
