The most awaited event in the game of cricket is finally here. After 4 long years, the ICC Cricket World Cup will be on the line once again. This year, the mega event will be hosted by England and Wales.
The co-hosts England will take on South Africa in the opening match of the season. It’s going to be one heck of a tournament and what better than two tournament favorites to kick start the competition.
England Strength and Weakness
England is believed to be the top contender for the title this time around. Eoin Morgan and his men have dominated ODI cricket in the past couple of years. They are the No.1 ranked side in the world. The strength lies in their batting. England has a proper batsman coming in at No.8 which makes just about any target achievable. They have a destructive batting line-up all along.
Also, they possess strength in the spin department with the presence of Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali. The all-rounders like Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes add to the power. The only weakness could be in the pace department. In the recent series against Windies, the pace attack was exposed and the world witnessed that it can be vulnerable at times.
England Squad ICC World Cup 2019
England selected 7 batsmen, 4 all-rounders and 4 bowlers in their squad. Here is the complete player list
England’s World Cup Squad |
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| Player | Role | Batting Style | Bowling Style |
| Eoin Morgan | Batsman | Left-handed | Right-arm medium |
| Joe Root | Batsman | Right-handed | Right-arm spin |
| Jos Buttler | WK-Batsman | Right-handed | – |
| Jonny Bairstow | WK-Batsman | Right-handed | – |
| Liam Dawson | Batsman | Right-handed | Left-arm orthodox |
| Liam Plunkett | Bowler | Right-handed | Right-arm fast |
| Mark Wood | Bowler | Right-handed | Right-arm fast |
| Adil Rashid | Bowler | Right-handed | Right-arm leg spin |
| James Vince | Batsman | Right-handed | Right-arm medium |
| Tom Curran | Bowler | Right-handed | Right-arm fast medium |
| Moeen Ali | Allrounder | Left-handed | Right-arm Offbraeak |
| Chris Woakes | Allrounder | Right-handed | Right-arm fast medium |
| Jason Roy | Batsman | Right-handed | Right-arm medium |
| Ben Stokes | Allrounder | Left-handed | Right-arm fast medium |
| Jofra Archer | Allrounder | Right Handed Bat | Right-arm fast medium |
South Africa Strength and Weakness
South Africa’s strength lies in the experience. The likes of Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, JP Duminy, David Miller, Dale Steyn have seen it all. Also, they have the exuberance of youth which makes them a threat. The pace attack is also lethal with the presence of Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi. Imran Tahir is a world-class spinner who would be a vital cog in the wheel.
However, the Proteas are known to be the chokers in big games. They have succumbed under pressure in previous ICC tournaments. There have been several occasions in which South Africa crumbled and lost games which they should have won. Each year, they are deemed to be one of the contenders with strong squads but somehow they find a way to lose crucial games.
South Africa’s Squad for ICC World cup 2019
South Africa National Cricket Team is all set to play ICC World Cup with 6 Batsmen, 5 All-rounders, 4 Bowlers. Here is the South African team Squad for World cup 2019.
South Africa’s World Cup 2019 Squad |
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| Name | Role | Batting Style | Bowling Style |
| Faf du Plessis | Batsman | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break |
| Hashim Amla | Batsman | Right-handed | Right-arm medium/off break |
| Imran Tahir | Bowler | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break |
| David Miller | Batsman | Left-handed | Right-arm off break |
| Dale Steyn | Bowler | Right-handed | Right-arm fast |
| Quinton de Kock | WK-Batsman | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox |
| Aiden Markram | Batsman | Right-handed | Right-arm off break |
| JP Duminy | Allrounder | Left-handed | Right-arm off break |
| Andile Phehlukwayo | Allrounder | Left-handed | Right-arm fast medium |
| Lungi Ngidi | Bowler | Right-handed | Right-arm fast medium |
| Kagiso Rabada | Bowler | Left-handed | Right-arm fast |
| Rassie van der Dussen | Batsman | Right-handed | Right arm leg break |
| Dwaine Pretorius | Allrounder | Right-handed | Right-arm fast medium |
| Tabraiz Shamsi | Allrounder | Right-handed | Right-arm fast medium |
| Chris Morris | Allrounder | Right-handed | Right-arm fast medium |
Head to head ENG vs SA in Cricket World Cup
| England vs South Africa in CWC | ||
| Total Matches | England Won | South Africa Won |
| 6 | 3 | 3 |
Head to head ENG vs SA in ODI’s
ENG vs SA Total Matches: 61
England Won: 26
South Africa Won: 29
No result/Cancelled/Abandoned/Tied: 6
Here is everything you need to know about the 1st match of the ICC CWC 2019 ENG vs SA
Match No.: Match 1
Date and Timings:Â Tuesday, 30th May 2019, 3:00 PM IST (9:30 AM GMT)
Venue: Kennington Oval, London
