South Africa will take on England in Match No. 20 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Saturday, October 21. As the two teams meet on the field of play, the fantasy cricket managers will get a chance to see their favorite players to choose and form their teams. The players’ performance on the pitch will translate into points for each chosen fantasy team, and the manager with the team with the most points will have a chance to win attractive prizes.
England, the defending champions, has started the World Cup poorly. With two defeats in the first three games, they have put themselves in a difficult situation ahead of a big game like this. Another defeat could put a dent in their title ambitions, making it all the more important.
South Africa, meanwhile, recorded two impressive wins by wide margins against Sri Lanka and Australia. However, a poor performance in the death overs saw them gain momentum against the Netherlands and eventually lost by 38 runs.
England and South Africa have a very close head-to-head performance, with the Proteas holding a narrow lead. In 69 ODI encounters between the sides, South Africa have won 33 while England have won 30.
Predicted Game XI
England: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c & wk), Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Gerald Coetzee
Weather conditions and location report
The weather conditions in Mumbai will be cloudy on Saturday. However, temperatures remain slightly on the higher side, ranging from 27-35 degrees. Though the average first innings score here is 234, Wankhede is a batting paradise and we can expect a lot of runs in this match.
ENG vs SA fantasy XI
Wicketkeepers: Quinton de Kock, Jos Buttler, Heinrich Klaasen
Batters: Joe Root, Dawid Malan, Rassie van der Dussen
All-rounders: Marco Jansen, Aiden Markram
Bowlers: Adil Rashid, Kagiso Rabada, Mark Wood
There is great individual talent on both sides, but because South Africa are the in-form team we went with six of their players.
Quinton de Kock and Jos Buttler are capable of making big shots on their day and both could also be considered for captaincy. Despite not having big scores in the tournament, Heinrich Klaasen is a worthy addition.
Joe Root has scored two fifties in the tournament so far and Dawid Malan is also very confident, thanks to a century against Bangladesh. Rassie van der Dussen has also scored a century in the tournament and is on a roll.
Aiden Markram is deadly with the bat and can contribute some crucial wickets with his off-spin. Marco Jansen has collected six wickets in the tournament so far and also adds depth to their batting.
Adil Rashid’s experience bowling on flat tracks makes him an obvious choice, alongside Kagiso Rabada, who has picked up seven wickets so far.
Captain: Quinton de Kock
Quinton de Kock is the only player with two centuries in the ongoing World Cup so far. He is in the form of his life and also scored runs on a difficult throw against Australia. He will cherish playing in the batting-friendly conditions at Wankhede and is a top choice for captaincy.
Vice Captain: Joe Root
Joe Root has consistently hit big scores and despite being dismissed early against Afghanistan in the last match, he is in excellent form. He is a good contender for captain or vice-captain.
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