England host South Africa in 1st ODI: Preview and stats
What's the story
England will take on South Africa in the first match of their three-game ODI series at Headingley, Leeds. The match is scheduled for Tuesday, September 2. South Africa would be high on confidence after coming off an ODI series win against Australia. Meanwhile, England's last white-ball outing was against West Indies in May-June this year. Here is the preview of the opener.
Match details
Pitch report, timing, and other details
The Headingley pitch in Leeds is known to favor batters. Owing to the same, a high-scoring encounter could be on the cards. The spinners will also get some help from the surface in the latter stages of the game. Winning the toss and opting to bowl first could be a smart move. While the game will be televised on the Sony Sports Network in India, SonyLIV will provide the live streaming (3:30pm IST).
Team status
Success in recent ODI assignments
Under the captaincy of Harry Brook, England had a successful run against West Indies, winning both the ODI and T20I series. Most of their players are coming off stints at The Hundred tournament and will be eager to perform for their national side. Meanwhile, South Africa come into this series on the back of an ODI series victory against Australia. The team will be bolstered by the return of star pacer Kagiso Rabada.
H2H
SA have an edge over England in overall ODIs
As per ESPNcricinfo, across 71 ODI meetings between the two sides, South Africa have claimed 35 wins to England's tally of 30. While one match was tied, five games have not seen results. On English soil, the two teams have squared off 29 times. SA have won nine games with England pocketing 17. Three games have had no results.
Information
Sonny Baker to make his international debut
England have announced their XI for the game as Sonny Baker, a talented Hampshire pacer, is all set to make his international debut. Along with Baker, England's bowling lineup for the ODI also includes Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse. Adil Rashid will be the spinner on his home ground.
Team line-ups
A look at the predicted playing XIs
England (confirmed XI): Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith, Joe Root, Harry Brook (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Will Jacks, Adil Rashid, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Sonny Baker. South Africa (predicted XI): Ryan Rickelton (wk), Aiden Markram, Matthew Breetzke, Temba Bavuma (captain), Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka.
Stats
Here are the key players
South African cricket prodigy Matthew Breetzke recently became the first player to score 50-plus runs in each of his first four ODIs. Keshav Maharaj and Lungi Ngidi claimed fifers in the recent ODI series against Australia. Jos Buttler has an average and strike rate of 44.30 and 108.47, respectively, versus SA in ODIs. Root is the highest scorer of England in ODIs with 7,126 runs at an average of 49.14.