In the 20th Match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, England will clash with South Africa. The match is at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. The game will be played on 21st October 2023. Following is the England vs South Africa preview of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
England vs South Africa Today Match Preview
Both sides are coming into this game after massive upsets. England lost a shocker to Afghanistan while South Africa suffered a haunting experience against Netherlands. Neither side would want to drop points in this game.
South Africa at the moment is in a better position. They have lost just one game and are at 3rd spot in the Points Table. England on the other hand have lost 2/3 games and are placed 6th on the Points Table.
The pitch at Wankhede is expected to support the pacers and the batters. With a cyclone prediction to this state, we can expect some overcast conditions as well. Both sides have got a good looking pace attack and both teams are known for playing aggressive brand of cricket. So the pitch will favor both sides.
Toss will also play a key role in this game. In overcast conditions, chasing is preferred more. If there is no overcast conditions at all, then batting first can also be a good choice. Nevertheless, both sides will have a fairly good chance at winning this game.
England Expected Lineup
England need a little more reliability in the middle-order. With Ben Stokes expected to be fit, England’s batting will be much more strengthened. It would be interesting to see who Ben Stokes will replace if he is fit. It would be probably one between Harry Brook or Liam Livingstone who will miss out. Meanwhile Sam Curran can also miss out and England can have David Willey in because of Curran being ineffective.
Probable XI: 1 Jonny Bairstow, 2 Dawid Malan, 3 Joe Root, 4 Ben Stokes, 5 Jos Buttler (C/wk), 6 Harry Brook, 7 Chris Woakes, 8 David Willey, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Mark Wood, 11 Reece Topley
South Africa Expected Lineup
The Proteas are unlikely to make a change to their unit. They are featuring a good lineup and should continue with that.
Probable XI: 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Temba Bavuma (C), 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 David Miller, 6 Heinrich Klaasen, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Kagiso Rabada, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Lungi Ngidi, 11 Gerald Coetzee
South Africa vs England Head to Head Record ODIs
Both sides have faced off 7 times in world cup history with England winning 4 and South Africa winning 3. South Africa have a chance to make this rivalry equal. The rivalry is also quite close in overall ODI cricket. Both sides have locked horns 69 times with each other. 30 games have gone England’s way, while South Africa have won 33. 5 matches ended without a result. Interestingly, both sides also had a tied encounter, back in 2005.
Players to watch-out for
South Africa’s batting failed miserably in their last game against Netherlands. Yet, it doesn’t change the fact that they have a threatening batting lineup. Quinton de Kock will be someone to watch-out for. He already has 2 centuries in this world cup and he will plan a 3rd in this game. Moreover, David Miller scored a good 43 against Netherlands. He is in good nick too. South Africa’s pace attack is also quite threatening. Trio of Rabada-Ngidi-Jansen have bowled well in the event and England must stay prepared for them.
England’s batting also failed in the last game against Afghanistan but Malan and Root have been in good rhythm in this event. Both of them are capable of playing long innings and if they settle at the crease, it would be curtains for South Africa already. Meanwhile Mark Wood will also be someone to watch-out for. His extreme pace vs the strong batting lineup of South Africa will be an exciting contest.
Toss Prediction England vs South Africa WC 2023
England is likely to win the toss and they will opt to bowl first here.
England vs South Africa WC 2023 Match Prediction
Both sides have 50-50 chance of winning this game.
