Heading into the second ODI between England and South Africa, one squad looks to come out victorious with a match left in hand, while another is trying to tie it up 1-1 going into finale. For the Proteas, this match could help them win their 2nd straight 50/50 series and be a huge boost to their 6th ranked squad before a long break is coming up. Seeing that both Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen are still ruled out due to key injuries, their depth will be on full display again, plus hope to dominate like they did in this first match. Having a captain like Temba Bavuma has immensely helped them consistently maintain great confidence and that “it” factor to beat some of these top nations convincingly, throughout various series.
On England’s side, this match will be more than important to regain confidence, as they were completely dominated in the initial one in all phases. A group that has been on the decline in ODI cricket, winning here would be very impactful for their ranking not to fall below 8th place and build up one again, instead. With a new look squad that no longer includes Liam Livingstone or Phil Salt, there will be challenges, but it also gives this side an opportunity to play at full potential in order to succeed at the 50/50 World Cup in two years. Harry Brook will lead this side and try to grow as a motivator, while also learning about field placement in a harder route.
England: Batsmen Should Make A Comeback Since Their Lineup is Loaded
For England, their strength in this match is clearly the batting pieces they possess and how they can light up the scoreboard. Opening will be Ben Duckett, who looks to get revenge after scoring just 6 runs in their 1st ODI, and hoping to prove why he’s considered one of the better batsmen worldwide. Known for his prowess as a left-handed shot maker who can create runs at a very high strike rate, Duckett has amassed 1181 runs during this format at a 40+ average. On the other side, Jamie Smith, who smashed a half-century in their last match, is one of England’s best up-and-coming players that can attack boundary areas with conviction and pile on higher scores pretty quickly. Having two openers known for not slowing down, it helps Joe Root come in at first down and hit those iconic cover drives across the ground.
Although Root did not have a strong performance in their first match, he his someone who will definitely get redemption after losing a wicket for under 20 runs last match. A true superstar of batting, Joe Root has nearly averaged 50 runs per innings and also gotten 60 combined 50+ scorers throughout a great career. Knowing that he should have a massive innings next match, captain Harry Brook will look to continue translating his style towards a shorter format of cricket and get past 1,000 runs. With his Bazball techniques that have always gotten a strike-rate over 100, Jos Buttler is going to play his game as well, with a powerful ability to hit sixes and add strong-looking fours in that mix. Scoring over 5,000 runs in this format, Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks will look to close this innings off after him, plus be impactful down the order.
England: Bowlers Will Be Very Questionable In This Match After A Rough First Performance
Talking about the bowling for this England unit, it will be very up-and-down as some pieces are going to show up really well, while others hope to get rid of their struggles. Jofra Archer was completely dominant in their last match as he kept his economy under 2.00 during 5 overs and really made amends for pieces that were leaking runs around him. Showing that he still has true strength in creating bouncers, his pace remains unmatched, with an ability to constantly make batters swing and miss. Although he wasn’t able to take a wicket, this is someone who’s taken 54 in 32 matches and should look hungry for one next match. The other pacer named Sonny Baker last match, meanwhile, immensely struggled and couldn’t provide any sort of threat.
Going for over a 10 economy during his 7 overs, this will just be his 2nd ODI ever, which he hopes to make massive strides in since it definitely did seem like he wasn’t as confident during their first. With Brydon Carse able to bowl a couple overs as well, he hopes to keep that economy lower than 6.0 like last match and add to his 28 career wickets. Spinners for this squad include the prowess of Adil Rashid, who continues getting the ball turning at a great rate and can force tons of clean-bowled plus stumping opportunities. As much as England struggled last match, he was able to take three wickets and move his career total to 227, while also doing it throughout all overs. Seeing that he will bowl all his full overs, Will Jacks should be a great option as a part-time spinner.
South Africa: Batting Unit Will Be Top-Notch Once Again And Very Deep As Well
Looking at South Africa’s batting pieces, they are going to show great prowess and have another fantastic knock with support from various hitters. To begin with, Aiden Markram will open as he hit another impactful half-century last match and now has 2,541 runs in this format. Seeing that he has brute strength and has intent in his strikes, this is someone who becomes really hard to get out just due to the style of him attacking, spin plus pace with ease. Opposite of Markram stands Ryan Rickleton, who plays at a much slower rate but gives this side a good left/right mix to build partnerships during the early set. Having scored 418 runs during his first 13 ODIs, he will always play at a controlled rate and be their main attacker on the ground.
Captain Temba Bavuma will lead at one-down and has a habit of letting everyone else attack first before he goes. Even though last match wasn’t a great example of this, South Africa were already way ahead, and he was trying to finish their match in one knock. Closing in on 2,000 runs in ODI cricket, he will be a major factor due to his class behind point or over extra cover, with record-breaking Matthew Breetzke coming right behind him. Although Breetzke didn’t play in the last match, he is very likely to make a return and build on 378 runs already scored during his first 4 career innings. Knowing that Tristan Stubbs, truly built for the modern game, has made contact with a lot of long balls, he’s hammered 324 runs during just 12 innings. Finishing it off, Dewald Brevis will continue being a true power-hitter that has already developed a 160 strike rate in this format and help close it out with Wiaan Mulder, plus Keshav Maharaj up next.
South Africa: Looking To Replicate Another Really Successful Outing
South Africa’s bowling unit will once again be loaded and full of energy despite a few key pieces not being there at the moment. Lungi Ngidi should lead the charge as a pacer and continue picking up key wickets after already getting 111 in 70 matches. Imposing with his height and pace, this year has truly belonged to him since he’s had some very clutch performances and taken over well in a year where there were several injuries. On the left side, Nandre Burger has looked tremendous with the speed he puts on balls, and also adding a swing element to confuse batsmen on what side to hit. As his economy is currently at 5.52, he will put on a show with newer balls as well. Knowing that Wiaan Mulder can bowl a few key overs, their main spinner will be Keshav Maharaj, who currently looks like the number one bowler he is ranked as in ODI cricket. With Aiden Markram set to bowl a few key overs, it will be interesting to see how things turn out.
Previous Matches
Matches Played: 71
England Won: 30
South Africa Won: 36
Drawn: 6
Last 5: South Africa won 5 of the last 5
Predictions
South Africa Bat 1st: They will score 310-320 runs for 7 wickets lost
England Bat 1st: They will score 250-260 for 9 wickets lost
South Africa Bat 2nd: They will win by 6 wickets
England Bat 2nd: They will lose by 30-40 runs
Final Prediction: South Africa will win by 6 wickets if batting 2nd and 30-40 runs if they bat 1st
Key Players
South Africa
Temba Bavuma: Captain and great leader who shows command in his batting style
Aiden Markram: Amazing finisher who will always attack with intent
Lungi Ngidi: Tall and quick bowler that always tries to find the middle of stumps
Keshav Maharaj: Number one ODI spinner that can really turn the ball left or right
England
Joe Root: World-class batsman who has shown true prowess in his cover drive ability
Jos Buttler: Key finisher who has always impacted the games with power batting
Jofra Archer: Quick bowler known for bouncers and building pace on the ball as innings move on
Ben Duckett: Left-handed batsman who plays with true power and helps this side start fast
Also Read: ZIM vs SA : Wiaan Mulder Reflects On His Unbeaten 367 After Conversation With Brian Lara