South Africa managed to win an ODI series in England after 27 years, and boy, did they make sure they did so in style. The second ODI at Lord’s wasn’t really equally poised, with the visitors ahead in almost every phase, but Jofra Archer’s cameo brought the game to the last ball. England needed one six to win, and South Africa were looking for anything but six. Senuran Muthusamy managed to get it done for his side, handing England their eighth ODI defeat this year.
With the series won by South Africa, all the hosts can hope for is a consolation win. Harry Brook denied the concerns that his team had to be on the unfortunate end because of their heavy workloads this summer. And if that’s not the case, England have a need for a long introspective look at themselves.
Team Overview:
England have made one change to the XI that lost by five runs against South Africa in the second ODI at Lord’s, bringing in Jamie Overton for Saqib Mahmood. Overton will form the pace attack with Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse, while Adil Rashid remains the sole specialist spinner. This means England will have to rely on Will Jacks and Jacob Bethell, who conceded 112 runs for one wicket in the second ODI, and possibly Joe Root to divide the ten overs between them, as a genuine fifth bowling option remains absent once more.
Ben Duckett, who has been released for the T20I series against both South Africa and Ireland to give him some respite amid struggles with his form, is also part of the team.
Matthew Breetzke has been an ODI cheat code lately. He has an average of 92.6 in five games, having scored four fifties and a hundred. His return to the team after a hamstring injury meant disaster for England, having added 147 runs in partnership with Tristan Stubbs. South Africa’s bowling lineup, though devoid of the regulars, has done a decent job in both games. While they didn’t see much resistance in the first ODI as England’s shoddy display handed them soft dismissals, they managed to halt the hosts on a flat Lord’s wicket quite effectively.
Head-to-Head Matches:
South Africa are ahead with 37 wins in 71 matches played against England, who have been the winning side in 30 games. They need just one win to wrap their first whitewash versus England.
Weather and Pitch Report:
Southampton is the venue where you can’t go wrong with putting plenty of runs on the board. England’s win record here is pretty decent as well, as they have only lost two games out of their last nine one-day matches at this venue.
The forecast mentions some rain showers paying a visit, however, those shouldn’t elongate their stay past the initial stages of the game.
Prediction:
South Africa have not only played the format more recently than England, but they are also on a roll, so they would ensure England are reminded of it too.
Where to watch:
UK: Sky Sports Cricket, Sky Go
South Africa: SuperSport Channel, SuperSport Grandstand, SuperSport Cricket
Pakistan: Tapmad, Tamasha
India: Sony Sports Network
USA: Willow TV
