Can England end ODI rut with series on the line?
The visitors have lost their last four ODIs, and may need to tailor their approach to suit a tricky Bloemfontein surface
Sisanda Magala impressed with three wickets in the first game • Getty Images
Big picture: Can England bounce back on sticky Bloemfontein surface?
South Africa ticked an important box in their bid to automatically qualify for the 2023 World Cup with victory in the first ODI on Friday night. Even if they go on to lose the series, that one win is enough to keep their hopes of finishing in the World Cup Super League top eight alive. Though they will have to beat Netherlands 2-0 and hope other results go their way, Friday's win has allowed them to keep their fate in their own hands. Five wins will guarantee them a spot in India, even though they've emphasised that results are not the main focus right now.
Begins with S ends with E and has chedul in there as well https://t.co/U2aF9FOSDw
— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) January 27, 2023
Form guide
South Africa WLLWL (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
England: LLLLW
In the spotlight: Sisanda Magala and Sam Curran
Sisanda Magala put in his best performance in national colours on Friday, when he broke the opening stand that threatened to turn the match into a one-sided contest in England's favour and then took two more wickets to give South Africa an advantage. Magala, who is usually a new-ball bowler, adapted well to being used as fourth change, and was particularly effective with the bouncer. While South Africa are not short of options in the seam-bowling department, he adds to the variety of the attack and could use the rest of the series to push for a more permanent white-ball place.
Team news: Archer, Parnell could be rested
Temba Bavuma's move to the opening berth will likely keep Janneman Malan and Reeza Hendricks on the bench for now. Although their bowlers won them the first ODI, South Africa may consider some changes in the attack. Tabraiz Shamsi had a poor outing on Friday and may make way for Keshav Maharaj while South Africa may want to see what Marco Jansen can do on a benign track in place of Wayne Parnell.
Pitch and conditions: Expect a flat and slow surface
Sunday's match will be played on a fresh strip, more towards the middle of the square, but don't expect too much more life. Flat and relatively slow could mean run-scoring proceeds much like it did on Friday: quickly with the new ball, and slightly more tricky later on. There will also be the added challenge of the heat. It's a day game, so players will be under 32-degree sun for most of the encounter.
Stats and trivia
- Before Friday, England were the only one of the 10 teams South Africa had played against in Bloemfontein that they had not beaten. They have played each other five times at the venue, England have won three, South Africa one, and one match has been tied.
- England and South Africa have drawn their last two ODI series (in 2022 and 2020), and England won the previous two. South Africa have not beaten England in an ODI series since 2016.
- Wayne Parnell needs three wickets to reach 100 ODI wickets. He will be the 13th South Africa to reach the milestone.
Quotes
"Whenever you beat England, it gives you great confidence. They're world champions and the way they have been playing over the last few years, it's always a feather in our cap as a team. We're not really thinking about qualification. If we need to go qualify, we'll go qualify; if not, and we end up winning two or three of these last games, then that's also okay. We'll take it game by game. The resolve the guys showed today - there's been a lot happening over the last two weeks with the SA20 - the way the guys came out and refocused on what we want to achieve this week is unbelievable."
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Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo's South Africa correspondent