In what was supposed to be the first of an exciting three-match ODI series, the fixture at Chester-le-Street has turned into a farewell game for Ben Stokes. The English all-rounder has announced his retirement from ODI cricket after Tuesday’s clash against South Africa.
Ben Stokes still remains the key as England seek to find solution to batting woes
Despite his shocking announcement, Ben Stokes still remains the key man for the hosts. The all-rounder who propelled England to their maiden 50-over World Cup title in 2019 will look to bow out with an impactful performance.
England are coming on the back of a 2-1 ODI series defeat at the hands of India. The decider was played just a couple of days back in Manchester, with English bowlers having no response to Rishabh Pant’s exploits.
English batters have put on rather ordinary performances, with the top order failing to score runs in all three matches against India. Joe Root, who has been having a dream run in red-ball cricket, managed to score just 11 runs in the three games against India.
South African bowlers will look to execute their plans
South Africa have named a strong squad for the ODI series against England. Despite the exclusion of Kagiso Rabada, the visitors have a lethal and dynamic bowling attack.
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami executed their plans against English batters, something which the Protea bowlers will target as well. Anrich Nortje will spearhead the pace bowling attack, with stand-in skipper Keshav Maharaj being the lead spinner.
England have struggled against short bowling, a ploy used by Hardik Pandya to pick four wickets in the final ODI. Marco Jansen would be a perfect fit for this role, given the extra bounce he offers.
Match Details
Match: England vs South Africa, 1st ODI
Venue: Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street
Date & Time: July 19, at 5:30 PM
Live Streaming: Sony Sports and ECB website.
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Pitch Report: A flat track is expected for the first ODI, which means we could be in for a high-scoring encounter. Fast bowlers can expect to generate an extra bit of bounce from the surface, which may work to the detriment of English batters.
CREX XI Suggestion:
Wicket-Keeper: Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Quinton de Kock
Batters: Joe Root, Jason Roy, Aiden Markram
All-Rounders: Ben Stokes, Dwaine Pretorius
Bowlers: Anrich Nortje, Reece Topley, Lungi Ngidi
Captain: Jason Roy
Vice-Captain: Quinton de Kock