ICC World Cup, England vs South Africa: Key player battles
What's the story
England will lock horns against South Africa in match 20 of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in Mumbai.
Both teams will look to bounce back after suffering defeats against Afghanistan and Netherlands respectively.
Both sets of players will be keen to deliver a match-winning performance in this crucial clash.
Hence the player battles will be a key factor in this match.
Here's more.
Key battle
Joe Root vs Kagiso Rabada
Joe Root will be key for England in this crucial match and SA will look to unleash Kagiso Rabada to remove him early.
As per ESPNcricinfo, Root has faced Rabada in eight ODI innings, scoring 53 runs. The speedster has not claimed his wicket yet.
But the pacer is in good form as he has returned with seven wickets in the ongoing World Cup.
Key battle
Dawid Malan vs Keshav Maharaj
Dawid Malan has taken the attack to the opposition spinners but has also lost his wicket in the process.
He has fallen to spinners seven times in 16 innings while slamming at a strike rate of 104.97.
Meanwhile, Keshav Maharaj has claimed 14 wickets this year with an economy of 4.50.
He has scalped eight wickets in 32 ODI innings against left-handed batters.
Key battle
Quinton de Kock vs Chris Woakes
Quinton de Kock will be a vital cog in SA's batting order and to keep him in check, England may unleash Chris Woakes.
Woakes has dismissed QDK once in six innings but has also kept him in control. De Kock has scored at a strike rate of 76.04 against Woakes.
QDK has slammed two match-winning hundreds in the ongoing tournament, while Woakes has struggled.
Key battle
Heinrich Klaasen vs Adil Rashid
Heinrich Klaasen is one of the fines hitters of spin in limited overs cricket in recent times.
However, Adil Rashid can challenge him in the middle phase. He has scalped Klaasen once in four ODI meetings.
But the dasher scored at a 122.72 strike rate.
Rashid has claimed 19 wickets this year whereas Klaasen owns an ODI strike rate of 125.96 against spinners.
Head-to-head
A look at the head-to-head record
The two sides have locked horns 69 times in ODI cricket so far.
The head-to-head record reads 33-30 in SA's favor. While one of their matches ended in a tie, five clashes got washed out.
Earlier this year, SA beat England 2-1 in a home ODI series.
Meanwhile, SA have three wins and four defeats against the Brits in ODI World Cups.