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ICC Cricket World Cup: England v South Africa Preview

ICC Cricket World Cup: England v South Africa Preview

England find themselves in a position that would be familiar to anyone who has followed the Proteas’ World Cup journey. They are hosting the tournament with the expectation that they ‘should’ win the whole thing.

The Proteas have less expectation on their shoulders after a tough few years leading up to the tournament. South Africa are arguably the third best side in the world right now, but England and India have shown themselves to be incredible ODI teams.

Thursday 30 May
The Oval, London 
11:30


To Win Match
England 42/100

Tie 35/1
South Africa 19/10


England
It is a tough task to pick out England’s key players because they have a team packed full of match-winners from top to bottom.

The suspension and subsequent axing of Alex Hales seems to have solidified England’s opening pair. Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow come into the World Cup in frightening form at the top of the order. Roy and Bairstow are capable of blowing most sides out of the water early on – and should give England a strong base.

If things go pear-shaped up top, then England will fall back on middle-order rescuers Joe Root and skipper Eoin Morgan. Root is seen as a more sedate batsman, but his ability to rotate the strike and punish bad balls is invaluable to England when the going gets tough.

England’s ‘hitters’ are so much more than sloggers ,so once a team gets through the top-order, they are faced with the likes of Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, who can score at an elevated rate for an extended period of time. This was evidenced by big knocks from the two in the recent series against Pakistan.

Bowling has been the biggest concern for England, but the addition of Jofra Archer to their ODI attack might just be the missing piece of the puzzle.

The man who could prove the Proteas’ undoing with the ball is a player not guaranteed to start. Moeen Ali has been criticised for his bowling abroad, but the off-spinner has gutted Faf du Plessis’ team on English soil before.

The pitch at The Oval is expected to be an absolute road and the weather should play along as well.

South Africa
For the Proteas, the key will be to play the game that unfolds in front of them rather than the match they expect, particularly if they bat first. There is a danger that South Africa’s batsmen could put scoreboard pressure on themselves simply because they are playing against a potent batting force.

A huge plus for the Proteas has been the form of explosive wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock – and an upturn in fortunes for Hashim Amla in the warm-up matches. Amla has had a disrupted season, troubled by the ill-health of his father, and has been plagued by poor form, but he stroked a silky half-ton in the warm-up match against the West Indies that was rained off before a wicket fell. Amla has an ODI ton and Test triple-century at The Oval, so it is something of a happy hunting ground for him.

In the middle-order, du Plessis himself provides both class and grit, but he will need some assistance from senior men JP Duminy and David Miller if the Proteas are to take anything from this opening game – and do well in the tournament as a whole. Rassie van der Dussen is an exciting prospect for years to come, but South Africa cannot afford to lean on him too heavily.

Dale Steyn has been ruled out of the opening match, as he nurses his problematic shoulder, leaving Lungi Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada to front the Proteas attack. Backing them up will be seam-bowling all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo and veteran leg-spinner Imran Tahir. Steyn’s place in the attack is likely to be taken by either Chris Morris or Dwaine Pretorius. Morris and Pretorius would both add depth to the batting, but there are fears that England might treat their medium-pace bowling as a buffet.

The Proteas played twice at The Oval during their 2017 Champions Trophy blowout, beating Sri Lanka before a batting collapse saw them thrashed by India.

Pakistan’s Saeed Anwar is the only man to have scored two ODI tons at The Oval, but three men have a shot at joining him on that pedestal if they play on Thursday. Amla, Roy and Root have all tonned up at the venue in the past. Roy’s 162 against Sri Lanka in 2016 stands as the second highest ODI score at The Oval, behind Evin Lewis’ unbeaten 176 for the West Indies against England in 2017.

Verdict: England 42/100
The Proteas will be eager to spoil the party, but all signs point to England starting with a bang.

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