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England versus South Africa with plenty to prove
The defending champions and the Proteas both will look to come roaring back after upsets against Afghanistan and Netherlands respectively
The last time England and South Africa played a World Cup game at the Wankhede Stadium, it was of the T20 variety in 2016, England chasing down 229 in a runathon. Why go so far back, white-ball players of both the teams, very well represented in IPL, know all about the value for money that the playing surface here offers. Coming off defeats against less fancied teams in a pressure cooker world event in India, Mumbai is where you want to be.
Afghanistan and Netherlands managed to trip up England and South Africa, leaving especially the former in a spot of bother. But this ten-team, initially each plays the other once format, gives teams a chance to stay alive deep into the competition.
Defending champions England can swallow a defeat against New Zealand or Afghanistan if it was a T20I. They were out-skilled in a World Cup ODI, which would hurt. That leaves them precariously placed with two losses in three matches. Buttler’s promise of taking Eoin Morgan’s legacy forward, like Ricky Ponting took over from Steve Waugh, has come under threat.
Ben Stokes has tried to lift the mood as he prepares to play after sitting out due to a hip problem. England Test team coach Brendon McCullum, in Mumbai on some other work, dropped by and met the players. His words of encouragement can rub-off on the ODI side, but rousing speeches can only take you so far.
If the pre-match workout in the nets is anything to go by, expect England to revert to the one way many of their batters are best equipped playing – with aggression. Stokes, set to play his first game, preferred to bat only against the side-armer, trying to perfect his bat swing against length deliveries. With plenty of spin options in the South African ranks in Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi and Aiden Markram, other English batters brought out the sweep and the reverse sweep in training.
“We've had some good conversations about how we want to play our cricket, how we want to commit to the style that we play. And that's always more important than the results,” England captain Jos Buttler said. “That's the best chance that we have of getting the positive results.”
Stokes, when available, is a shoo-in. “It's great to see him back. He brings a lot on the field and with his presence and leadership skills as well as someone who is always good to turn to,” said Buttler of the Test skipper.
But whose place he will take isn’t straightforward. He can come in for all-rounder Sam Curran, in which case David Willey may take Chris Woakes’ place. The other less likely option is to drop Liam Livingstone and let Joe Root bowl his overs of part-time spin.
In the opposing ranks, South Africa, who struggled against Netherlands’ spinners, are also alive to the possibility of Moeen Ali coming in, with his off-spin an option.
South Africa are better placed than England with three wins and they appear to have the batting to make the most of the conditions here. They are doing all in their powers, from collecting information from Quinton de Kock’s Mumbai Indians experience to counting on wishes they received from the South African rugby team.
The Proteus know the average South African sports fan will be glued to the rugby on Saturday as they play England for a place in the World Cup final. “A lot of us love our rugby so we'll definitely be supporting the Springboks and I'm sure they'll be supporting us as well,” Temba Bavuma, South African captain, said.
For the locals in Mumbai where the pre-match demand for tickets hasn’t been anything like one sees for an India match, Bavuma had a message. “If I was a cricket fan, I'd want to be watching South Africa versus England. I think it will be a tightly contested, exciting game. There'll be individuals in both camps wanting to put their hand up for the team,” he said.
