Defending World Cup champions England will face South Africa in the 20th match of the tournament on Saturday. The ENG vs SA game will be played at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai from 2 PM IST onwards.
Reeling from upsets in their previous outings, a formidable South Africa will have an upper hand against a faltering England when the two teams meet.
Having recorded the highest total of this competition (428/5) previously, South Africa crumbled against the Netherlands in a rain-truncated game in Dharamsala for their first loss in the competition.
Similarly, England too caved in to pressure when Afghanistan brought out their best with the ball in Delhi.
The England team has had ‘good conversations’ in the aftermath of its ICC Cricket World Cup upset at the hands of Afghanistan, a defeat from which captain Jos Buttler claimed on Friday that the team has moved on from.
“We had a few days to let the defeat sink in and moved on and focused. We had some good conversations and the energy and hunger around practice last night was very high,” Buttler told the media in Mumbai ahead of England’s training session at the Wankhede Stadium.
England brought its talismanic all-rounder Ben Stokes out of retirement for its World Cup defence, but he has missed all three matches so far due to fitness issues.
The intensity with which Stokes trained on Thursday and also on Friday raised hopes of the all-rounder finally getting his first game of this year’s World Cup, but Buttler remained non-committal.
“I’ve got so many options within the squad selection, it is always tough, and you’re working out the right balance, always venue-dependent as well, so (it has) been a good chance to see the wicket here today and gather a bit more information as well,” Buttler said in reply.
“But obviously, Ben trained really well last night. It is great to see him back. He obviously brings a lot on the field and with his presence and leadership skills as well as someone who is always good to turn to,” added the wicketkeeper-batter.
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma on Friday admitted the in-form batter Quinton de Kock’s experience and knowledge of the Wankhede Stadium will be a guiding force for them in their World Cup clash against England.
De Kock, set to retire from ODIs after the World Cup, has had the Wankhede Stadium as his home ground in the IPL playing for Mumbai Indians. Bavuma said de Kock’s experience will come in handy for his side which also has some players including himself playing in Mumbai for the first time.
“His experience is immense. In our batting chat today (Friday), we basically listened to him. He gave the batting chat as to what the conditions are like, what to expect,” Bavuma told the media before South Africa’s training session.
Bavuma said South Africa will be ready with their plans if England decide to bring in Ben Stokes in their playing eleven.
