South Africa vs England 2015-16: Visitors’ likely XI for 1st ODI at Bloemfontein
South Africa vs England 2015-16: Visitors' likely XI for 1st ODI at Bloemfontein
England are mentally upbeat at the moment following thoroughly-deserved 2-1 Test series win over South Africa in the recently-concluded Basil D’Oliveira Trophy 2015-16. The team has witnessed a resurgence in international cricket in both Tests and One-Day Internationals (ODI) since their disastrous outing in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, and the Eoin Morgan-led side will look to carry the side’s momentum over to the limited-overs from the Tests. Following are the players likely to be announced by the skipper during toss at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein on Wednesday morning, arranged in batting order. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: South Africa vs England 2015-16, 1st ODI at Bloemfontein
Top-order (1-3): South African-born England opening batsman Jason Roy sat out of the team’s net practice at Bloemfontein due to back spasm, the problem of which he is believed to have sustained during England’s easy victory over South Africa A in the warm-up match at Kimberley. With the in-form opener expected to sit out of the first game unless he somehow manages to clear the fitness test, James Taylor is the most likely candidate to walk out with Alex Hales at the start of the England innings. PREVIEW: South Africa vs England 2015-16, 1st ODI at Bloemfontein
Taylor has been in good nick, and he shapes up to be a better prospect as an opener than Moeen Ali under the current circumstances. Joe Root is going through a dream phase as a batsman across formats, and will be the backbone of the England batting order.
Middle-order (4-7): Skipper Eoin Morgan has led his side well in limited-overs cricket since the national selectors showed Alastair Cook the door late in 2014. Morgan has been among the most consistent run-getters for his side of late, especially during the ODI series against Australia at home. He will be expected to gather runs at a quick pace, and form important partnerships with Root after the departure of the openers in order build the foundation for a major score. READ: South Africa likely XI for 1st ODI at Bloemfontein
The England middle-order has been blessed by the presence of Ben Stokes, who has extended his magical touch to the five-day format during the recent Test series, and will continue to be a handy option for his skipper both with bat and ball in the upcoming series. Jos Buttler may have lost out on his place in the Test side, but he will continue to don the wicketkeeping gloves in the one-dayers. Taylor’s promotion to the top of the batting order means the in-form Jonny Bairstow will be free to bat at No. 7.
Lower-order (8-11): With the possibility of batting at the top of the order ruled out, Moeen will have to stay content with batting at No. 8. Moeen however, has excelled with the bat at that position in recent times. He will however, have to be the only specialist spinner in the side as the remaining slots will be filled by seamers in all probability. Stuart Broad makes a comeback into the limited-overs side, following the ruling out of Steven Finn and Liam Plunkett, with the latter being the replacement for Finn in the first place.
Broad recently pulled off one of his greatest spells of all time at Johannesburg (6 for 17), and will look to make his one-day comeback a memorable one. Among the remaining pace options, David Willey and Chris Woakes are most likely to make the cut.
England likely XI for 1st ODI: James Taylor, Alex Hales, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (c), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wk), Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, David Willey.
(Amit Banerjee, a reporter at CricketCountry, takes keen interest in photography, travelling, technology, automobiles, food and, of course, cricket. He can be followed on Twitter via his handle @akb287)