The World Cup winners have traveled to South Africa for a season of cricket that was barely interrupted despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
No other team has been close to England in terms of playing post-lockdown while South Africa for instance, has barely played any, making this series a huge one for the home side.
The South Africa board (CSA) had never seen days like this and they are currently in their worst phase possible. Hopefully, a successful series could make way for new things to come for the Proteas.
There are three T20I followed by three One day internationals scheduled.
Head to Head
Matches: 18, England:8, South Africa: 9, N/R:1.
Team News
The Proteas have lost their charm and their position in the rankings too. Several factors have affected and things have gone down very badly for the cricketing giants.
There's no scarcity of talent in the nation and they still have a lot of players who can change the fate of the game by just playing a part in it.
Quinton de Kock's role will be instrumental as he had a more than decent IPL and the team will be looking forward to him for some cherishable performances in these tough times.
Reeza Hendricks, Janneman Malan, Faf du Plessis, Temba Bavuma, and David Miller will be the other Proteas players to look for.
As far as white-ball cricket is concerned, there's no team stronger than England at the moment. That is not only because of the quality but also because of how regular the players have played cricket even in these struggling times.
Name a position and England have a batsman ready who is fully fit to fire. Be it the skipper Morgan, Dawid Malan, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow and several more have been more or less in form and everyone witnessed it in the IPL.
England has the depth and the ability to perform and the Proteas will have to be careful.
Pitch and Conditions
The weather is expected to be cloudy but it is anticipated that nothing close to threatening the game will happen. The batsmen are expected to have a great time batting while the bowlers will get the pace and bounce they need.
Probable Playing XI
England (Eng): Jason Roy, Jos Buttler (WK), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow/Moeen Ali, Eoin Morgan (C), Ben Stokes, Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood/Reece Totley.
South Africa (SA): Quinton de Kock (C&WK), Rassie Van Der Dussen, Faf du Plessis, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Andile Pheklukawayo, Reeza Hendricks, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi.
Key Battles
Faf du Plessis vs Jofra Archer
Giving the IPL vibes right? But no, this time it's much more important for their individual images and Faf would be more concerned here.
He had a brilliant IPL but he did struggle at times towards the end. With a lot of things happening in the background (CSA), Du Plessis will have to come out stronger and prove to the world that he is still not finished.
Archer was phenomenal in the IPL too but a lack of support led to his franchise's downfall. However, here he has a completely different setup. England as a whole, have huge confidence and momentum. Things will surely get heated up between these two spectacular players and fans cannot wait to watch.
Kagiso Rabada vs Jason Roy
Rabada emerged as the purple cap winner of this season's IPL. He was brilliant towards the beginning and also very tight at the death.
Jason Roy was not a part of the IPL but he will be up for a challenge as he also wants a consistent run in this England side.
The battle is expected to take place particularly in the powerplay and things could go either way.
Prediction
The game is expected to be a tight one. The pitch enables the game to be a high-scoring one but both the teams have ample options in the being department and we could see a lot of drama too.
The visitors have an advantage as most of them have been in the game more frequently and their cohesion at the moment seems better than the hosts.
However, South Africa has a job to do. A win here would be a statement not only to the world but also to their board.
Cricwizz predicts England to Win
