06 February 2020, by: The Popping Crease

South Africa v England: Second ODI Betting Preview

South Africa won the first ODI by a convincing seven wickets in Cape Town on Tuesday evening and will be looking to seal the three-match series in Durban on Friday.

The good news is South Africa have won seven of their last eight ODIs here.

South Africa’s new look side played well in the first match, completing a comprehensive all-round bowling and fielding effort which meant they restricted England to a sub-par score of 258-8.

Tabraiz Shamsi was particularly impressive with his 3-38, bowling in the middle overs and at the death. His control was excellent as well as his use of a change of pace was pleasing to see. He has clearly worked on his craft and fitness. He was unquestionably the pick of the bowlers.

Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma (3.75) both had a point to prove. de Kock being the new captain, and Bavuma just being in the team. Questions were raised over Bavuma’s place, but I firmly believe he has the skill and talent to be successful at this level, in all formats. Both players came through successfully as their 173 run partnership was key to the Proteas’ convincing win with 14 balls to spare.

BET: SA v ENG SECOND ODI

South Africa’s struggles in the batting department across formats has been well documented, and what was needed from a South African perspective was a solid start to their innings. Enter new ODI captain, Quinton de Kock, who struck his 15th ODI century on his way to his 5000th ODI run in a truly wonderful captain’s knock. He became the second-fastest South African to the milestone, after only the great Hashim Amla.

Over the past year, de Kock has matured into the type of cricketer the Proteas need. He realizes the amount of responsibility on his shoulders and he has taken the responsibility and thrived under it.

Victory in the first ODI was exactly what the country needed after the miserable Test series, but as captain, de Kock stated after the match, it was only one game.

If South Africa truly want to plan for the future and build a team for the 2023 World Cup, a player like Janneman Malan (3.75) needs to get into the playing XI sooner rather than later. It was disappointing he was not picked for the first game, so it would be advantageous for both him and the team the quicker he gets to settle in. Reeza Hendricks’ (3.50) disappointing early dismissal should pave the way for Janneman’s debut on Friday.

BET: SA v ENG FIRST ODI

The opening partnership is critical, and specifically, de Kock needs to continue in the rich vein of form he is in and ensure he is batting for a large portion of the innings. His record in Durban is encouraging, de Kock has scored two centuries and a 50 in five ODI’s.

Spin in the middle overs worked well for South Africa in the first ODI. A pair of Bjorn Fortuin (3.75) and Tabraiz Shamsi could spin England into trouble in those important middle overs, especially when you consider that between overs 15 and 30 in the first ODI, England averaged under five runs an over. It must be worth a shot to play Fortuin, as he also offers something with the bat as a capable lower-order batsman. Although JJ Smuts filled the second spinner’s role with aplomb.

England’s explosive batsmen, of Jason Roy (3.00), Jonny Bairstow (3.00) and Eoin Morgan (3.75) were not able to spark the same fiery innings that they would have expected, and that was down to the accurate South African bowling. Joe Root was run-out at a crucial juncture in the match. They will be all be looking to come to the party on Friday. On the bowling front, England missed a trick leaving out Adil Rashid so expect him to make a swift return as Matt Parkinson (3.50) underwhelmed.

South Africa’s middle-order was not tested in the first ODI, although Rassie van der Dussen (3.75) at number four looked assured for his 38*. For David Miller, he needs a big innings to showcase why he is in the team. The jury is still out on whether Miller (8.50) has a long term future in the side.

BET: SA v ENG FIRST ODI

As it is Durban, there is always a chance of rain and a thunderstorm, so this day/night fixture may be interrupted.

South Africa have won seven of their last ten games at Kingsmead, with six of those batting first. There has been a dramatic upturn in runs at the venue in recent years, three of the top-four highest totals have come in the last five matches held here. The average first innings score is 239, but over the last eight matches, it increases dramatically to 290.

BET: SA v ENG FIRST ODI

BET: SA v ENG FIRST ODI

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