England vs South Africa, ENG vs RSA, Today Match Prediction 24 July 2022

eng vs sa Match Prediction & Analysis

The third and the final ODI of the three-match series between England and South Africa will be played at the Headingley, Leeds on 24th July from 3 pm onwards. The series is currently poised at 1-1 after England made a comeback at Old Trafford by beating SA by 118 runs. The final game will be South Africa’s chance to win the ODI series after a gap of 24 years. They had won the Texaco Trophy back in 1998.

England batted first in the second ODI after rain reduced the game to 29 overs. England’s fast start was halted by Dwayne Pretorious whose 3 wickets in 7 balls saw England reduced to 62 for 4. Liam Livingstone ( 38 off 26) and Sam Curran (35 off 18) took England par 200 in 28 overs. The South African batting lineup crumbled like a castle of playing cards.  SA were 6 for 4 at the end of the 4th over. A little resistance from Henrich Klassen (33) and David Miller (12) wasn’t enough for them to chase 202. SA was bowled out on 83 in 20.1 overs by England bowlers to tie the series 1-1.

SA’s record in England over the last two decades doesn’t go in their favor.  They have lost three series since their last win in 1998. On the other hand, England has lost two series (One ODI & One T20I) on a trot this month at home. The third game will be a nail-biter for sure. The last time when England played against SA at Leeds, Moeen Ali scored 77 off 51 balls to take the target to 340. England won that game by 72 runs.

TEAMS PREVIEW

England Preview

England's current form in the white ball format is filled with ups and downs. The complete dominance of the home side is what is lacking. But they won’t be changing their winning side for the final ODI. Roy and Bairstow will open the innings. Bairstow has 91 runs in 2 games and is the leading scorer from the England side. Roy is still struggling with his form since the T20I series against India. England played Phill Salt at the number 3 position. But his T20I approach needs to change for a longer format of the game. Joe Root seems to be out of touch. Though he scored 86 in the first ODI, his average in the last 5 ODIs is below 20.

Jos Buttler’s captaincy stint is affecting his form too. The Ipl’s leading run scorer has 31 runs in this series. Liam Livingstone and Sam Curran brought England back into the game with quick 30-plus individual scores. But inconsistency is the key problem with both which SA can exploit. Moeen Ali is the best bet for England to go at Headingley. Ali’s average at Leeds is 56 with a strike rate of 110.52. It will be a good bet to send him at the top.  

The English bowling unit was up to the mark in the second ODI. The spin duo Ali and Rashid picked 5 wickets with an economy of 4.75. England went ahead with all left-arm pacers in the last game. Reece Topley continued from where he left against India to take 2 wickets for 17 in his 4 overs. Topley now has 12 wickets in the last 4 ODIs. David Willey and Sam Curran will continue to support Topley after 1 wicket each at an economy of less than 3. Plus they can add runs with their batting.

Key Players: Jonny Bairstow, Reece Topley, Adil Rashid.

England Predicted Playing XI:

Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Phill Salt, Jos Buttler (c & wk), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, David Willey, Sam Curran, Reece Topley.

England Actual Playing XI:

Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Phil Salt, Jason Roy, AU Rashid, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, David Willey, Sam Curran, Jos Buttler, Reece Topley

South Africa Preview

South African unit has proved again why they are called Chokers when they had a chance to grab the ODI series against the Hosts. They got defeated by a huge margin of 118 runs in the 29-over game. Although they have displed a brilliant bowling display to restrict England's side to just 201 in 29 overs, they failed to chase down the target and that is why will get to see a series winner in the last ODI at The Headingley.

Lethal pacer; Anrich Nortje is looking in solid touch with the ball and has managed to pick up 6 wickets so far in the series at an average of 17.66. Dwaine Pretorius joins him in the 2nd ODI and picked up 4 key wickets of opponents which helped them to restrict the opponent to a low total. But the batting unit failed terribly in front of England’s simmers and got bowled out just 83 runs in 21st over.

The team's top 3 key batters; Rassie van der Dussen, Janneman Malan, and Aiden Markram departed on a duck in the last ODI. Rassie Van der Dussen who has an average of 75.83 in the last 9 ODIs, will be the key batter for this side if they want to claim a series. Quinton de Kock and Aiden Markram are still struggling to score runs and that might cost them in the series decider at Headingley.

Key Players: Rassie Van der Dussen, Anrich Nortje, Janneman Malan

South Africa Predicted Playing XI:

Kehav Maharaj (C), Janneman Malan, Henrich Klassen, Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Dwaine Pretorius, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lungi Ngidi, Rassie van der Dussen.

South Africa Actual Playing XI:

Heinrich Klaasen, Anrich Nortje, Quinton de Kock, Tabraiz Shamsi, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Janneman Malan, Lungi Ngidi, Rassie van der Dussen

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The weather will be partly cloudy with an 80% chance of rain. The rain is predicted in the afternoon. The temperature will range between 16 and 23°C. The wind will be flowing from the west at 15-30 kmh. The pitch favors batters. But cloudy weather can see swing bowling could be on the countertop.  

Venue Details

The 3rd ODI between England and South Africa will be played at The Headingley, Leeds. The venue holds a capacity of 17000 spectators and has hosted 80 tests, 46 ODIs & 1 T20I so far. It is the home ground for Yorkshire Cricket Club.

Toss: To Bowl

In 46 ODIs, teams have successfully chased the target on 26 occasions. While the team batting first has come out victorious 18 times. Though the average first innings score is better than the second innings the team winning the toss should Bowl first. England have chased 324 in 37 overs at Headingley against Sri Lanka.