What a World Cup fans are having. First, it was Afghanistan who beat England and then it was the Netherlands who handed a defeat to South Africa. After historic losses, England and South Africa are set to lock horns in the ICC World Cup. The 20th ODI will be played at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on 21st October from 2 pm onwards. It will be an opportunity for both teams to strengthen their possibility of a top-four finish.
England couldn’t handle the Afghanistan spin attack to suffer their second defeat at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. Batting first, Afghanistan set a target of 285 runs for Butler and company. Adil Rashid took three wickets for 42. England lost a couple of early wickets that hampered their chances in the end. Harry Brook (66) was the sole half-Centurion from the English squad. But his inning couldn’t help England as they lost the game by 69 runs.
Just after a day’s gap, South Africa became the victim of the second upset. In a rain-affected game, the Netherlands set a target of 246 runs for the in-form South Africa team. South Africa lost half the team on 89 while chasing the Dutch target after a successful spell from ex-South African international Roelf van der Merwe. David Miller (43) showed some resilience to the Dutch attack. But SA suffered a 38-run defeat in the end.
In February both teams had their final outing against each other. It was Jos Butler who registered a century (131) to give 347 runs for Africa to chase. Jofra Archer took 6 wickets in return to snap England’s losing streak. But Archer is not there for England now. And Butler hasn’t been up to the mark. It will be interesting to see how the three lions will manage to face the de Kock storm.
THE VENUE FOR SOUTH AFRICA – ENGLAND MATCH
As the game progresses and the pitch begins to wear, spinners can come into play. Mumbai’s hot and humid conditions can cause the pitch to deteriorate, leading to assistance for spinners, particularly in the latter stages.
Average 1st Innings Score: 234
Average 2nd Innings Score: 204
TEAM PREVIEW
ENGLAND
England were the favorites before the World Cup started. But two losses in three games have somewhat derailed their campaign. They are losing the battle at both batting and bowling end. Against Afghanistan, they lost 8 wickets to spinners in 25 overs and managed to score 104 runs. Bairstow and Malan will open the innings for England. Bairstow is having a poor run scoring 87 runs in 3 games.
On the other hand, David Malan is England’s leading run-scorer. Malan has scored 186 runs so far with a century. In his last game against South Africa, he scored a century (118) while having a 232-run partnership with Jos Butler. He will be the batter to watch out for.
Joe Root at number three will play the role of an anchor. Root is having a great World Cup with the bat. In three games, he has scored 170 runs with two half-centuries. Harry Brook and Jos Butler need to step up at number four and five. Brook scored 66 against Afghanistan but lost his wicket to the pressure. Butler needs to play the captain’s knock against SA. After all an average of 24 is not what a team captain should have.
Indian all-rounders have failed to live up to their name. Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, and Chris Woakes have scored 99 runs collectively in the last three games. The trio also had taken 2 wickets each with the ball. England might look to bring Moeen Ali to the squad. Livingstone who has just 30 runs in 3 games might lose his spot. Also, we all are wondering if Ben Stokes will get his chance against South Africa.
Reece Topley and Adil Rashid will lead the bowling attack for England. Topley is the leading wicket-taker for England with 5 wickets at an average of 19. Rashid took three wickets in the last game to take his tally to 4. Besides these two, none of the bowlers have been effective for England.
PROBABLE XI OF ENGLAND v SOUTH AFRICA
Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c & wk), Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Ben Stokes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley.
SOUTH AFRICA
Temba Bavuma and his side must be introspecting himself after losing to the Netherlands. The opener has scored 59 runs in the 3 games at an average of 19.66. His ineffectiveness is creating pressure on van der Dussen and Markram in the middle. He can play the captain’s knock against England. After all, Bavuma has 4 centuries and 2 half-centuries in the last 20 games. Quinton de Kock will be the batter to watch out for. The left-handed batter has scored 229 runs in 3 games including 2 centuries in the first two games.
South Africa has registered 4 centuries so far. Van der Dussen has one of them. With Bavuma out of the form, the responsibility will be on the shoulders of him and Markram. Markram has scored 163 runs in this World Cup. But what amazes about him is his strike rate. The middle-order batter has scored at a strike rate of 161.38. The trio (excluding Bavuma) has scored 10 centuries and 12 half-centuries in 24 games SA have played since the last two years.
South African bowlers couldn’t capitalize on the early success against the Netherlands. The Dutch were 112 for 6 in 27 overs. And they had 123 runs in the next 16. Rabada and Jansen will lead the bowling attack with Ngidi. Rabada is SA’s leading wicket-taker with 7 wickets at an average of 19.85. He will be the bowler to watch out for. Jansen has 6 wickets so far, but conceding at around 7. Seeing the pitch of Wankhede, SA should bring back Shamsi in the squad. He and Maharaj can be lethal against England who had crumbled down against the spinners in the last game.
PROBABLE PLAYING XI OF SOUTH AFRICA v ENGLAND
Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Gerald Coetzee.
PREDICTION FOR THE GAME
It will be a tough game as both teams are coming from losses. Comparing the current form of both units, South Africa have a better edge over England.
Match Prediction: Backing South Africa to beat England.