ENG v SA, 3rd ODI Preview: England aim perfect finish ahead of Champions Trophy

Team South Africa were in firm command of the second ODI of the 3-match ODI series against England. Pretty much until the last over, they had fancied their chances of leveling the series. However, a stunning final over by the English pacer Mark Wood set the tone for the England’s win. Wood successfully defended 7 in the final over of the game against the two well-set batsmen – Chris Morris and David Miller.

While there was joy for the hosts, the visitors have plenty to worry out. Over the years, they have been carrying the tag of being the chokers in crunch games. Albeit the previous game was not a game of great significance, but it would have certainly raised concerns for the Proteas team management. Earlier in the series, they had lost the first ODI as well. In that game, it was the batting that had let them down.

Coming into the final game of the series, the hosts would want to wrap up things on a high and get the perfect clean sweep. England are anyway being tagged as the favorites for the upcoming edition of the Champions Trophy. Hence, the win in the final ODI will help bolster their spirits an inch more. On the other hand, South African camp will already be under the jitters.

In all probability, they will be worried about their bowling lineup that has conceded in excess of 300 on two successive occasions. With just one game left in their hand before heading into the ICC mega event, the Proteas camp will have a lot to think about.

Toss: South Africa won the toss and opted to field

Playing XI:

South Africa: Quinton de Kock(w), Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers(c), Jean-Paul Duminy, David Miller, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel

England: Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan(c), Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler(w), Adil Rashid, Toby Roland-Jones, David Willey, Jake Ball, Steven Finn

Debutant: Toby Roland-Jones makes his ODI debut

Focus will be on

Jason Roy

English opener Jason Roy has failed in the first two ODIs of the series. Also, he was not at his peak best in the series against Ireland that preceded the series. His lean patch has to end for the fortunes of England to turn in the opening order. Even in the IPL this season, Roy did not get a lot of opportunities in the middle. In the previous game, his footwork looked slightly off track as well as he struggled against the new ball.

AB de Villiers

South African skipper AB de Villiers will be under the scanner not only for his batting but also for his captaincy. He has been found wanting in the captaincy department as well in the death overs. He would surely want to improve in that quotient ahead of the series. On the personal front, AB de Villiers has been performing well enough to get starts in the first two matches. He needs to ensure that he carries his bat through for the team.

Team Combination

England

Team England will hope for their star opening duo of Alex Hales and Jason Roy click well finally. Joe Root and Eoin Morgan have been in top form in the recent times and hence the middle-order needs no beefing up at the moment. With Ben Stokes scoring a century, things have only got better. However, the team has deciced to rest Stokes after he was seen struggling with his knee in the previous game.

Jonny Bairstow, the man who has been in sublime form since the last calendar year, might be the beneficiary. Mark Wood and David Willey will be assisted by Steven Finn in the pace bowling department after Chris Woakes has been ruled out of the game. Also, it is high time that the English camp give Adil Rashid a go in the playing eleven before the Champions Trophy.

South Africa

South Africa will be happy with the way the openers have been playing. Both Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock have got starts this season. Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers have got fifties to their names in the recent times as well. It comes down to JP Duminy in the middle-order. Farhaan Behardien, after his lackluster show in the previous game, might lose his place in the lineup.

Morne Morkel deserves to get a look in the playing eleven for the final match of the series. Kagiso Rabada has been quite successful with the ball and has been the wicket-taking option for his skipper. David Miller and Chris Morris find themselves in the role of the finishers for the game. However, the duo failed to finish the game in hand in the previous game.

Stat Attack

8 – Number of times England have scored in excess of 350 runs in ODIs since the ICC World Cup 2015 – the most by any team.

23 – Number of runs needed by Hashim Amla to reach 7000 ODI runs.

333 – The average score of England in their last 10 ODIs.