A heavyweight clash between two sides who were on the wrong side of a pair of upsets awaits. England, the champions in both white-ball formats are in a state of doubt. They were in a similar situation in 2019 when Jonny Bairstow led the way with some aggressive performances, and they will be hoping for another set of performances full of aggression.

South Africa looked good for a good part until their frailties went on display against the Netherlands. They’ve had their World Cup heartbreaks but their initial performances are heartwarming to go by. The upcoming encounter promises to be one of the most interesting tussles and it is occuring at an iconic venue, known to give some thrilling encounters.

The South Africans have performed as a unit with their batting coming good, and the bowling stepping up as well, barring the game against Netherlands. England are capable of doing the same but have not struck the right chord collectively yet. Chris Woakes and Sam Curran have been underwhelming, reducing the effect of Mark Wood and Adil Rashid. On the bright side, Ben Stokes looks like he is coming back and that could play a strong factor in their World Cup revival.

ENG vs SA Match Details

Date: October 21st, 2023

Time:  2:00 PM IST

Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

ENG vs SA Weather Report

The weather looks pretty clear for the upcoming fixture.

ENG vs SA Pitch Report

A fresh batting track, small boundaries and two heavyweight batting units promise a run-fest. These two were involved in a 460 run game during the 2016 T20 World Cup as well. Red soil tracks though tend to be a little tricky in the the longer format, breaking up sooner. Spin could play a role if dew doesn’t come in making batting first a safer option. Scoreboard pressure is another aspect which has made batting first a better way to go.

ENG vs SA Head-to-Head

Stats	Matches	SA Won	ENG Won	NR	Tie
Overall	69	33	30	5	1
In India	1	0	1	0	0
In the last Five Matches	5	2	2	1	0
ICC ODI World Cups	7	3	4	0	0

ENG vs SA Predicted Playing XI

SA Playing XI

Quinton De Kock, Temba Bavuma, Rassie Van Der Dussen, Aiden Markaram, David Miller, Henrich Klaasen, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee/ Tabraiz Shamsi, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi

ENG Playing XI

Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Harry Brook/Liam Livingstone, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley

See Also: https://cricketwinner.com/cricket-news/crickets-biggest-event-kicks-off-as-a-generation-faces-off

ENG vs SA Key Players

Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes returns. His presence last time around was pretty uplifting and as one of the leaders in the side, and a player who could influence proceedings, a lot rests on him. He was the one to come up with superhuman performances four years ago, and England will need him to come up with such performances once more with their tournament on the line.

Quinton De Kock

Quinton De Kock has been in red-hot form after a tough lead-up to the tournament. Two centuries in consecutive games shows that he is looking to go out how he came in, and the aggression showed at the top has been commendable so far.

ENG vs SA Match Tips

Both sides come in with a lot of firepower and are tough to beat on their day. South Africa’s form has been a touch better, barring the last game. They have punched above their weight giving them a slight edge unless England come out playing the way they did four years ago.

Match Prediction: South Africa Will Win Today’s Match