ENG tour of SA, 2023

SA vs ENG, 3rd ODI

Preview

The third and final match of the three-match ODI series between South Africa and England (SA vs ENG) will take place on Wednesday (February 01) at 04:30 PM IST Live. The second match of the series will be played at the Diamond Oval, Kimberley, South Africa. South Africa has already taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the 3-match ODI series and they will be looking to clean sweep the 2019 ODI World Champion England in this fixture as well.

Talking about the 3rd ODI, although it is a dead rubber, The Proteas still have a lot at stake with the 2023 World Championship qualification up for grabs. They have gained 10 World Championship Super League points already from this series and moved into 9th place on the table.

The Hosts pulled off a mighty chase against England in the 2nd ODI to seal the series on Sunday. Chasing a target of 343 might have looked like a tough target, but the SA batters made light work of it by knocking it off with five balls to spare. The chase was set up by a brilliant century from their skipper, Temba Bavuma who scored 109 off 102 balls, he was well supported by David Miller (59* off 37 balls) and Marco Jansen then provided the finishing touches to seal the series.

This Proteas batting unit is pretty strong and bats deep which they have shown in the last two matches. The left-handed opening batter Quinton de Kock may have failed in the first two ODIs, but he’s a quality ODI opener. The middle-order batter Aiden Markram, who scored 49 off 43 in the 2nd ODI, is a solid presence for the team in the middle overs. With Miller in sensational form and Jansen proving to be a handy lower-order batter, SA's batting is shaping up nicely.

The hosts have some quality fast bowlers with the likes of Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Wayne Parnell, and Marco Jansen who have the skills to succeed on any wicket. They might have gone for some runs in the previous match, but it was a rather flat wicket. The left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj keeps things tight with his spin and is proving to be a more reliable option than leg-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi in the playing XI.

The defeat in the second ODI against the Proteas was ENG's fifth consecutive one in this format - their worst run since the 2015 World Championship. While other teams would have pressed the panic button by now, the English side still need not be overly concerned. In the second ODI, England did post a healthy 342-7 on the board, courtesy of some fine knocks by captain Jos Buttler (94* off 82 balls), the middle-order batter Harry Brook (80 off 75 balls), and the all-rounder Moeen Ali (51 off 44 balls). The English side has some crazy batting depth, with all-rounder Sam Curran coming in at No.8. The wicketkeeper batter Buttler hasn’t been at his fluent best but is certainly getting there, and a massive knock is just around the corner.

Buttler's side would, however, be concerned about the lack of bite in their bowling in the last two matches against South Africa. The 33-year-old fast bowler Chris Woakes went for 60 in 6.1 overs in the previous match. Reece Topley (0-74 in 9 overs) and Adil Rashid (2-72 in 10 overs) were expensive too. Olly Stone was impressive, with a spell of 2-48 off 10 overs on this batting deck. The Visitors might bring in Jofra Archer again in the final ODI in place of Topley on Wednesday.

Match Details

Match: SA vs ENG, 3rd ODI, England tour of South Africa, 2023

Date: Wednesday, February 01, 2023

Time: 04:30 PM

Venue: Diamond Oval, Kimberley, South Africa

Pitch and Weather Report

This pitch is a balanced one and it is unlikely to be as flat as the one we saw in the first two ODIs at Mangaung Oval. There’s something in it for the fast bowlers throughout but batters who take time to settle in will get a chance to make big runs. There have been 14 ODIs played at this venue. The average score batting first here is 229. The highest total posted at the venue is 304-5 by Lankan Lions against the Proteas while chasing a target of 300. The team batting first in this game should look to post a target of around 280-290 runs on the board. Of the 14 ODIs played here, 11 have been won by the side chasing with almost a 79% chance of winning records on such occasions. The team winning the toss is hence likely to bat second.

The weather forecast for the matchday on 01st February 2023 at the Diamond Oval is expected to be overcast with some likely rain with a high of 31 degrees Celsius and with 52% chance of humidity, with a cool wind of 16 km/h. A stray afternoon thunderstorm is expected in Kimberley during the matchday on Wednesday. However, we should still get a full game.

SA vs ENG Squads

SA: Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Sisanda Magala, Keshav Maharaj, Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen 

ENG: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Phil Salt, Olly Stone, Reece Topley, David Willey, Chris Woakes

SA vs ENG Probable Playing XIs

SA: Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Sisanda Magala, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi

ENG: Jason Roy, Dawid Malan, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c & wk), Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Olly Stone

Match Prediction

After making it 2-0 the Hosts would be looking to make it 3-0 by winning the third and final ODI on Wednesday against England. As we already mentioned, For Proteas, every win is important for World Championship Super League points to gain and will not be taking things lightly. The Visitors have lost another ODI series now, which is a matter of concern for Buttler and co. However, the 2019 ODI World champions still have enough firepower in their ranks to beat the best.

One expects them to get back to their winning ways after clinching a solid win or two. Perhaps the 3rd and final ODI will pave the way for England. But we still say SA to win 3rd match of the series and clean-sweep the English side.

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