ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 – England vs South Africa Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is England vs South Africa taking place? Thursday 30th May – 10:30 (UK)
Where is England vs South Africa taking place? The Oval, London
What is the expected weather for England vs South Africa? 20-21c with cloudy intervals but no rain expected
What television channel is England vs South Africa on in the UK? Sky Sports Cricket
Where can I stream England vs South Africa? Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match live on Sky Go
Where can I get tickets for England vs South Africa? https://www.stubhub.co.uk/cricket-world-cup-group-stage-tickets-london-the-kia-oval-5-30-2019/event/103713698/?sort=price+asc
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Last meeting: South Africa beat England by 7 wickets
THE TEAM NEWS
ENGLAND
Coach: Trevor Bayliss
Captain: Eoin Morgan
- England bounced back from their narrow loss to Australia as they hammered Afghanistan by nine wickets in their second warm-up match on Monday as they come into this opening match against South Africa on a high as the tournament favourites.
- Preparations have been blighted by various injuries within the camp with Mark Wood’s foot problem being the biggest concern and they may be reluctant to risk him for this match rather than name him in the eleven and risk losing him early if the issues reoccurs.
- Wood, Vince, Dawson and one of either Plunkett or Curran could be the men to miss out in this opening match as England face an incredibly tough start against South Africa who showed they were well matched against the hosts two years ago, narrowly losing a three-match series.
SOUTH AFRICA
Coach: Ottis Gibson
Captain: Faf du Plessis
- South Africa come into this World Cup as dark horses having not received the same level of spotlight as the likes of England, India and Australia, but their preparations have been strong and they have a wealth of quality within their 15-man squad.
- Faf du Plessis and the selectors have some difficult decisions to make as who to leave out as they have so many quality options so the likes of Markram, JP Duminy, Pretorius, Morris and Shamsi could be forced to watch from the sidelines for this opening match.
- Their pace trio of Steyn, Rabada and Ngidi all had injury concerns over the last couple of months which impacted their IPL participation and Steyn is not expected to feature here but they have plenty of quality between Rabada, Ngidi and Andile Phehlukwayo to cover his expected absence.
THE PREDICTION
England come into this match and tournament as hot favourites to win but South Africa may arguably be underestimated in both. They have plenty of quality and depth throughout their squad to cause England plenty of problems in this opening match. Early wickets will likely be the key to success for either team and while England may have the edge in terms of batting, it is the South Africans who have the better bowling attack. Rabada and Ngidi will be as dangerous as any opening bowling partnership in the World Cup and early wickets could cause England problems. The question for South Africa will be which of their bowlers can keep things tight and stem the flow of runs on what should be a batting friendly pitch. Ultimately, England’s batting depth may just give them the edge but this match could go all the way.
