ICC World Cup 2019: Match 1, England vs South Africa- Match Prediction

The ICC World Cup 2019 opener will see host England go up against South Africa on May 30 (Thursday) at the Kennington Oval in London. Meanwhile, both the teams will be keen to get off to a winning start to set the tone for the matches to come in this long tournament.

England and South Africa look for a winning start

Meanwhile, England will start as the favourites as they enter the tournament as the top-ranked side in the world. Since their awful campaign in 2015 World Cup, Eoin Morgan & Co have hardly done anything wrong. They have won 17 of the 22 series they have played since then, and there has been a transition shift in their style of cricket. England have looked ruthless with their batting making a habit of scoring 300+ scores.  However, all eyes will be on Jofra Archer as he will make his World Cup debut after an impressive stint over the globe in T20 leagues.

Also read: ICC World Cup 2019: England vs South Africa – England’s Predicted Playing XI

On the other hand, South Africa will be without Dale Steyn as he still recovering from the injury he sustained during the IPL. But that should not bother the management as they have the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi with supports from the Chris Morris and Andile Phehlukwayo to make up for it. But the batting looks a bit when compared to England, but the likes of Quinton de Kock and skipper Faf du Plessis can turn the tide any day. Imran Tahir who will be playing his last World Cup can turn out to be a trump card for South Africa as he has been for MS Dhoni during his stint for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL.

Date and Venue: May 30 (Thursday) at 3:00 PM, at the Kennington Oval, London

Weather Forecast: There was some wet weather around in London on Wednesday, but the forecast for the game itself is dry but cloudy. With overcast skies on offer, the bowlers can have some fun in Oval.

Also read: Sanjay Manjrekar Leaves Out KL Rahul From His Playing XI For South Africa Game

Predicted Playing XI

England: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

South Africa: Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, Faf du Plessis, JP Duminy, David Miller, Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Imran Tahir

Match Prediction

There have a lot of talks around the England side leading to the World Cup. They have been the best side in this format and enter the tournaments with the favourites tag. However, the level of expectations and playing in front of the home crowd will create some pressure on the players.

Also Read: ICC World Cup 2019: Match 1, England vs South Africa- South Africa’s Predicted Playing XI

On the other hand, there are very few expectations from the South Africa side, and there is no buzz around them. But the Proteas have players in their ranks who can shift the game in a split second.

However, going by the recent form and statistics, England will comfortably walk away with a victory to start the showpiece tournament.