England vs South Africa: A complete statistical analysis
Hosts and tournament favorites England gear up for their opening encounter against South Africa in the ICC World Cup 2019 at the Oval on Thursday. Both teams will be looking to start the proceedings on a winning note in this 10-team tournament. Ahead of their crucial battle, we look at the statistical analysis of the matches between the two sides in the tournament.
The two countries have met each other six times in the ICC Cricket World Cup. Both teams have won three games. Their last meeting happened in the 2011 World Cup, where England won the match by six runs. In overall meetings, it has been a tight affair as well. Out of 59 matches, SA have won 29, whereas, England have pocketed 26.
AB de Villiers has scored the most runs for South Africa in the World Cup (1,207) at an average of 63.52. He slammed four tons and six half-centuries between 2007 and 2015. For England, Graham Gooch amassed the most runs in the World Cup (897) between 1979 to 1992 in 21 innings. He smashed one ton and eight half-centuries.
Ian Botham leads the show in terms of the wickets picked for England in World Cup across editions (30). The legend excelled at an average of 25.40. His best performance was 4/31. Allan Donald has taken the most number of wickets for South Africa in World Cup history (38). He took two four-wicket hauls at an average of 24.02 and a best of 4/17.
The Oval will host five matches in the 2019 World Cup. The ground has hosted 68 ODIs. The highest score at this venue is held by New Zealand (398/5 against England in 2015). The lowest score was registered by England (103 versus SA in 1999). Eoin Morgan has the most runs here (573). James Anderson (30) holds the record for most ODI wickets.
There will be assistance for the pacers on this pitch. Reports claim that there will be hint of cloud covering the sky. It remains to be seen how much swing is on offer. Spinners could have a role as well.
