England tour of South Africa 2019/20

Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma’s 190-run partnership led South Africa to victory in the 1st ODI match before England put things back into order with a win in the 3rd and final ODI. England had earlier thrashed South Africa 3-1 in the Test series. But T20I is a different game and despite their dominance England are still chasing their first T20I series win in South Africa

South Africa despite their recent low in Test and ODI cricket, still enjoy a superiority status in T20I cricket and held India to 1-1 draw in their last T20I series. Since their 1-2 defeat to India in February 2018, South Africa have held India to 1-1 draw, beaten Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Zimbabwe and won a one-off T20I match against 2020 T20 World Cup hosts Australia.

Dale Steyn will be making a comeback in international cricket and will aim to put up a significant show. Other than him, Quinton de Kock displayed some good form in the ODI series and is expected to continue his stellar run in the shortest format of the game too.

A win in the first ODI brought some respite for South Africa after the battering they received in the Test series. And a victory in the 3rd and final ODI match will not only seal the series but will also turn respite into joy for the Proteas, who – the last time they played an ODI – were knocked out of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup.

The Proteas side won the first ODI of the series and with the second game being washed out, they are 1-0 up in the series and has a great chance to defeat the World Cup champions. On the other hand, Eoin Morgan and Co will be eyeing to level the series by winning the third match.

Quinton de Kock was the stand-out performer for the home in the opening game as he scored a sensational ton and helped his side registered a seven-win win. Other than him, Temba Bavuma also scored a well-compiled 98 in the first game. For England, Joe Denly scored an impressive 87.

South Africa's T20I squad, to be led by Quinton de Kock, is capped off with the maiden call-ups of batsman Pite van Biljon and seamer Sisanda Magala. However, Magala's selection is conditional upon the passing of a fitness test that he will have to take ahead of the first match in East London next week. Steyn also returns.

The absence of Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler was clearly felt in the opening ODI as England’s middle-order seemed quite fragile. Joe Denly, however, played a good knock of 87 runs but that wasn’t enough to guide his side over the line. South Africa, on the other hand, displayed an all-round performance.

Skipper Quinton de Kock was the standout performer for the hosts in the first game. The southpaw registered a scintillating century and helped his chase 259 runs with seven wickets in hand. In the bowling department, Tabraiz Shamsi spun his web and took three crucial wickets.

England are World Champions and would look to play that way. South Africa, on the other hand, are in a rebuilding phase in ODIs and wicket-keeper batsman Quinton de Kock has been appointed as the new captain.

Speaking of head-to-head record in One-Day Internationals, the two sides have met each other on 60 occasions where England clinched 27 games while South Africa registered 29 victories. One match ended in a tie while three were washed out. Well, the record suggests that the home side are slightly ahead of their opposition.

SA vs ENG first ODI will be played on February 4 at Newlands in Cape Town. Both the sides haven’t played a single ODI match since the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 and will look to make a good start to the new season. Meanwhile, if you are looking to for the best tips to choose batsmen, bowlers, wicket-keepers and all-rounders for SA vs ENG match, you can scroll down.