ICC World Cup, ENG vs SA: Pitch and weather report
South Africa and England will fight for redemption as they meet in Match 20 of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup. After claiming comprehensive wins in their first two games, SA lost to the Netherlands in their last fixture. England also suffered a shocking defeat against Afghanistan in their last assignment. Here we present the pitch and weather report.
A look at the track conditions
The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai will host the match on October 21 (2:00pm IST). The track here is known for big scores and the batters always get value for their shots. There is also some assistance for the pacers with the new ball. Notably, the England vs South Africa match will be the first clash at this venue in the 2023 WC.
Will rain play any part?
Though there are no chances of rain, the MET department has issued excessive heat warning for Saturday in Mumbai. Hence, players can have a hard time in the initial half of the game. As per Accuweather, the temperature will be around 37 degrees Celsius at the start of the game. The temperature should drop to around 30 degrees Celsius by the afternoon.
Here are the stadium stats
A total of 23 men's ODIs have been played here. While chasing teams have 12 wins here, teams batting first won the remaining 11 matches. England have two wins and a solitary defeat here. SA have won just one of their four ODIs at this venue. However, they own the highest team score here, 438/4 versus India (2015). 5.08 reads the average run rate.
Here are the probable playing XIs
England's probable XI: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (C & WK), Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley. South Africa's probable XI: 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.
