England and South Africa: Two Teams Looking to Prove Their Worth at Wankhede
England lost to Afghanistan on Sunday; two days later, South Africa paved the way for a blockbuster match at Dharamshala. In England’s case, it was mostly a lack of intent that caused them significant trouble. In South Africa’s case, their bowlers allowed the Netherlands to run away with the game. Then came their disorderly batting performance, and watching them, South African cricket fans must have thought, “this can’t be real.”
The irony is that both of these teams, who played uncharacteristically against teams that had less chance of winning, will face each other at Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. South Africa will be livid with themselves for losing a match against the Netherlands and halting the winning momentum, which could have been of vital importance going against England if they had won against the Dutch.
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England in Disarray After Loss Against Afghanistan
Now, both teams are a bit under pressure. When two big teams go against each other in a high-pressure environment, usually the more resilient team comes out as the winner. This term is associated with both England and South Africa. However, in World Cup matches, England is more capable of handling the pressure than South Africa.
South Africa has been unlucky on a few occasions in World Cup matches, but adding to that, they are known for losing big moments in matches. As a team, South Africa can be quite uncharacteristic of their nature, as it happened against the Netherlands when they dropped catches, bowled bad balls, and stumbled while chasing.
Ben Stokes’ Return Could Be the X-Factor for England
Ben Stokes is likely to make a return against South Africa. That will be a massive boost for England as they have struggled to find a consistent and reliable batter in the middle-order. His role is going to be decisive in how England paces its innings and how freely the big hitters will go after South African bowlers who haven’t looked disciplined in this tournament except against Australia.
England has an edge over South Africa in that regard. They find a way to regroup and perform as a unit. The last time Jos Buttler scored a century was against South Africa back in February. Maybe once again, the team can get him going on a big stage where England needs to perform positively at all costs.
The match between England and South Africa will be played at Wankhede Stadium. The last time these two sides had a match at this ground in any format, England chased down 228 runs posted by South Africa in a 20-over game. So history says England can stun South Africa, particularly on this ground.
Heinrich Klaasen Needs to Convert His Starts Into Big Innings
It will also be a crucial game for Heinrich Klaasen, who has gotten starts in all matches of the tournament but hasn’t been able to convert them into big innings. He was South Africa’s best man coming into the World Cup, knowing how good and destructive he can be against spinners.
It’s a big game for two equally powerful teams because once they let loose, they are capable of scoring 400 runs in a game easily. With that being said, it won’t be easy for both teams because on the one hand, England can’t afford another loss, and on the other, South Africa will fight tooth and nail because they don’t want to be off track for too long.
