Cricket World Cup 2019: England vs South Africa match preview

LONDON: The ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 will officially start today with the first match to be played between England and South Africa at The Oval.

The match is scheduled to begin at 2:30 pm (PST) and 10:30 am (local time.) 

England, The number 1 ranked ICC team is all set ready to face South Africa, after suffering a 12-run defeat against Australia during the first warm-up match played on Saturday. On the other hand, South Africa managed to lead a massive 87-run victory against Sri Lanka during their warm-up clash.

English skipper Eoin Morgan believes that over the years the team has managed to come back with pure pace and aggression against its opponents. The top ODI team went through a loss when Mark Wood was identified with a minor left-foot discomfort during the warm-up match against Australia, however, England Cricket team is now boosted up with knowing that Wood will be available for the opening match against the Proteas.

Moreover, South Africa has its eyes on the World Cup trophy, prepared to win against the host team on Thursday. However, Dale Steyn has been ruled out of South Africa's World Cup opener against England on Thursday as the 35-year-old paceman injured his shoulder during the recent Indian Premier League and will not be risked.

During the last warm-up match, South Africa won against Sri Lanka with a great margin. Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis thinks that his bowlers will play a crucial role during the upcoming matches. Seeking for their maiden World Cup win, the Proteas can’t be taken lightly. They are ready for the face-off with a potent bowling line. Having aggressive Kagiso Rabada, and death-bowling leg-spinner Imran Tahir along their side, South Africa can turn out to be of a broad-attacking intensity against England. Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, and David Miller are their match-winners. 

Players to Watch 

1. Jos Butler (England)

The wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Butler has appeared to turn out as a nightmare for the Australian bowlers in the last warm-up game where he scored fantastic 52 runs off 31 balls including 5 fours and 3 sixes.

2. James Vince (England)

James Vince, who was included in the squad as a replacement for Alex Hales, managed to score the highest for England, 64 runs off 71 balls with 6 fours, validating his selection in the squad.

3. Faf du Plessis (South Africa)

The Proteas skipper showed brilliant performance in the warm-up match against Sri Lanka. He scored 88 runs off 69 balls with huge 4 sixes and 7 fours. The runs came off at a stunning strike rate of 127.53 through his bat.

4. Kagiso Rabada (South Africa)

South Africa is ready to play with their new pace attacker, Kagiso Rabada, bounded with high expectations, aiming to knock off the batting line with his expeditious bowling pace and efficiency.

The host team is inclusive of several big-hitters and playing in their home grounds can be an advantage for them. England and South Africa, both the teams are ready with competitiveness to face one another during the first match of the tournament.

England’s Cricket World Cup 2019 squad: Eoin Morgan (c), Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, James Vince, Jos Buttler (wk), Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Liam Dawson, Tom Curran, Liam Plunkett, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Joe Root

South Africa’s Cricket World Cup 2019 squad: Faf du Plessis (c), Quinton de Kock, Kagiso Rabada, JP Duminy, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Imran Tahir, Dwaine Pretorius, Lungi Ngidi, Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Hashim Amla, Tabraiz Shamsi, Chris Morris.