South Africa vs England, RSA vs ENG, Today Match Prediction 01 February 2023

sa vs eng Match Prediction & Analysis

South Africa have defeated world champions England in two successive games to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the 3-match series. The third match of the series will be played at the Diamond Oval in Kimberley on Wednesday. Although it is a dead rubber, South Africa still has a lot at stake with World Cup qualification up for grabs. They have gained 10 World Cup Super League points already from this series and moved into 9th place on the table.

TEAMS PREVIEW

South Africa Preview

South Africa pulled off a mighty chase against England in the 2nd ODI to seal the series. Chasing a target of 343 might have looked like a tough target, but the South African batters made light work of it by knocking it off with five balls to spare. The chase was set up by a brilliant century from their captain, Temba Bavuma who scored 109 off 102 balls. David Miller (59* off 37 balls) and Marco Jansen then provided the finishing touches. 

This South African batting unit is pretty strong and bats deep. Quinton de Kock may have failed in the first two ODIs, but he’s a quality ODI opener. Aiden Markram, who scored 49 off 43 in the 2nd ODI, is a solid presence in the middle order. With Miller in sensational form and Jansen proving to be a handy lower-order batter, South Africa’s batting is shaping up nicely.

In Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Wayne Parnell, and Marco Jansen, South Africa have four top-class pacers who have the skills to succeed on any wicket. They might have gone for some runs in the previous match, but it was a rather flat wicket. Keshav Maharaj keeps things tight with his left-arm spin and is proving to be a more reliable option than leg-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi.

South Africa Predicted Playing XI:

Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Wayne Parnell, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi

South Africa Actual Playing XI:

Sisanda Magala, Rassie van der Dussen, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Tabraiz Shamsi, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram, Wayne Parnell, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Temba Bavuma

England Preview

The defeat in the second ODI against South Africa was England’s fifth consecutive one in the format - their worst run since the 2015 World Cup. While other teams would have pressed the panic button by now, England still need not be overly concerned. In the second ODI, they did post a healthy 342-7 on the board, courtesy of some fine knocks by skipper Jos Buttler (94* off 82 balls), Harry Brook (80 off 75 balls), and Moeen Ali (51 off 44 balls). They have crazy batting depth, with Sam Curran coming in at No.8. Buttler hasn’t been at his fluent best but is certainly getting there, and a massive knock is just around the corner.

The team would, however, be concerned at the lack of bite in their bowling. Chris Woakes went for 60 in 6.1 overs in the previous match. Reece Topley (0-74 in 9 overs) and Adil Rashid (2-72 in 10 overs) were expensive too. Olly Stone was impressive, with a spell of 2-48 off 10 overs on this batting deck. England might bring in Jofra Archer again in the final ODI in place of Topley.

England Predicted Playing XI:

Jason Roy, Dawid Malan, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c & wk), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Olly Stone, Jofra Archer

England Actual Playing XI:

Jofra Archer, Jason Roy, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali, Ben Duckett, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Dawid Malan, Reece Topley, Harry Brook

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch at the Diamond Oval, Kimberley is a balanced one. It’s unlikely to be as flat as the one we saw in the first two ODIs at Mangaung Oval. There’s something in it for the seam bowlers throughout but batters who take time to settle in, will get a chance to make big runs.

A stray afternoon thunderstorm is expected in Kimberley during the day of the match. However, we should still get a full game.

Venue Details

There have been 14 ODIs played at the Diamond Oval in Kimberley. The average score batting first here is 223. The highest total posted at the venue is 304-5 by Sri Lanka against South Africa while chasing a target of 300. The team batting first in this game should look to post a target of around 280 runs.

Toss: To Bowl

Of the 14 ODIs played here, 11 have been won by the side chasing. The team winning the toss is hence likely to bat second.