World ODI Cup 2023

Match 20: ENG vs SA

Preview 

Match 20 of the 2023 World ODI Cup will see the clash of the heavyweights, with the ‘Three Lions’ taking on Proteas at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday. 

England have made a nervy start to their 2023 WC campaign and presently sit outside the top half of the points table, while the men in green are in third but head into this match on the back of likely the biggest upset of the tournament to date. 

It is a significant day for both these nations, who will not only be squaring off here in the Cricket World Cup but will also lock horns in the highly anticipated 2023 Rugby World Cup semi final clash later in the day at Stade de France.  

The reigning champions faced last year’s finalists in the opening match of this tournament where the black caps secured a comprehensive 9 wicket win dashing England’s hopes of a successful start. 

The Poms’ only win in the tournament came against Bangladesh, as Dawid Malan’s free flowing 140 run knock contributed to a very defendable target of 365, while Reece Topley’s four-fer guided his side to a 137 run victory. 

Against Afghanistan, England struggled against the spinners, losing eight wickets inside 25 overs and scoring only 104 runs during that phase, with Harry Brook’s half century being the only noteworthy contribution, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to save England the blushes as they eventually lost the game by a margin of 69 runs. 

While England’s batting has been the bedrock of their success in white ball cricket over the past year and a half, it has floundered to put up a substantial performance in this competition, and they will need their batters to step up or else the 2019 champions can face an early exit from the tournament. 

South Africa got off to a flying start to their WC campaign with a colossal victory over Sri Lanka, as Quinton De Kock, Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen each smashed centuries for the Proteas in this match. 

Chasing a record target of 429, Sri Lanka lost wickets at regular intervals and were eventually bundled out for 326. Gerald Coetzee was the pick of the SA bowlers with three wickets to his name. 

After another commanding performance against Australia in their next match against Australia, we witnessed arguably the biggest upset of the World Cup so far when the Dutch stunned Bavuma and co by securing a 38 run win in Dharamsala, which brought back the undesirable memories for the Proteas of the 2022 T20I World Cup where Holland stopped them from reaching the semi finals. 

Despite the lacklustre performance in the last game, SA will start firm favourites to win this match. Their clinical display in the first two games says enough about their mettle and ability to bounce back. 

England and South Africa have faced each other 69 times in ODIs, with the men in green winning 33 matches and England being triumphant on 30 occasions, while five matches concluded in no contest, and they played out one draw.    

Match Details

Match: ENG vs SA, 20th Match, World ODI Cup 2023

Date: Saturday, October 21, 2023

Time: 2:00 PM

Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Pitch and Weather Report

The pitch at Wankhede Stadium will be a balanced one but the batters will certainly enjoy an additional advantage. A total of 29 matches have been played on this track, in which the team batting first has won 14 matches and the team bowling first has won 15 games. 

Maximum temperature of 32 degree celsius with 74% humidity and 6.6 km/h is projected for the day. 

ENG vs SA Squads

ENG: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler(w/c), Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson

SA: Temba Bavuma(c), Quinton de Kock(w), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Reeza Hendricks, Lizaad Williams

ENG vs SA Probable Playing XIs

ENG: Dawid Malan, Harry Brook, Joe Root, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Chris Woakes, Johnny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (C), Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley

SA: Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma (C), David Miller, Aiden Markram, Marco Jansen, Quinton de Kock (wk), Henrich Klaasen, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj

Match Prediction

Expect a highly competitive game between these two formidable sides. Both ENG and SA will be eager to return to winning ways. While SA are coming off to a surprise loss against NED, ENG were stunned by AFG in their most recent clash. It’s really hard to call out a winner at this point but we put our stakes on England. 

Suggested Playing XI Real11 Fantasy Cricket



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