ICC World Cup 2019: Match 1, England vs South Africa, Match Prediction – Weather Report, Pitch Conditions, Playing XIs and Live Streaming Details

England, one of the favourites to win the World Cup, is all set to play their first match against South Africa at the Kennington Oval in London. The Poms have had to face a few injury concerns, but most of their players have recovered and are raring to go. The Eoin Morgan-led team lost their first warm-up to Australia, but made a stupendous comeback, beating Afghanistan by nine wickets at The Oval.

The Proteas, on the other hand, brushed aside Sri Lanka by 87 runs in Cardiff. However, to their dismay, their second match versus the Windies got abandoned due to persistent rain. Nevertheless, they had something to cheer as Hashim Amla got an unbeaten 51. As far as their next match is concerned, South Africa last beat England at the Oval way back in 1999 under the leadership of Late Hansie Cronje.

Weather Report

There is a 40 per cent chance of rain at around 9 AM, which means that there could be a delayed start. The percentage will come down, but there is a slight chance of the contest getting washed out. The humidity will mostly be in the 60s. There will be a significant amount of cloud cover throughout the day and the sun is unlikely to make its presence felt.

Pitch Report

In the warm-ups, the track turned out to be in favour of the team batting second. New Zealand and England didn’t face any difficulty in chasing down the targets. Overall, 26 out of the 65 completed ODIs were won by the team, batting second. Hence, it won’t be a surprise if the teams opt to field first.

Playing combinations

England

The Three Lions’ top order is pretty much sorted with Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow in prime form. James Vince may not get a chance. Joe Root and Eoin Morgan, who recovered from a hand injury, form the middle order. Jos Buttler will be critical as he has to give them the finishing kicks. Liam Plunkett and Jofra Archer did well in the warm-ups. The onus will also be on Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid to also chip in and make it a well-rounded effort.

Probable XI

Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (C), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wk), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett

South Africa

Quinton de Kock didn’t play the warm-ups and he may replace Aiden Markram in the lineup. Hashim Amla returning to form is also a positive sign for the Proteas. Faf du Plessis and Van der Dussen also looked in decent touch in the last match. In the bowling department, Dale Steyn is set to miss out owing to a shoulder injury. Despite that, the Proteas bowling attack looks a pretty formidable one.

Probable XI

Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (wk), Faf du Plessis (C), Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, JP Duminy, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Imran Tahir

Probable Top Performer

Jos Buttler – England | Faf du Plessis – South Africa

Broadcast Details

TV – Star Sports

Online– Hotstar

Match Timings – 15:00 IST; 10:30 local

The prediction is for the team batting second to win the match.