Time for our first foray into an actual cricket-based blog post, and of course there’s no where better to start right now than the upcoming England T20I series in South Africa.
England go into the series on the back of a lot more cricket than the South Africans, and are widely seen as the best white-ball side in the world currently (maybe even ever?!) However, 3 SA players stood out at the IPL and the last series between the two sides was an absolute thriller that ended 2-1... and it’s hard to believe it was this calendar year too!
It is always exciting to see England back in action, especially in foreign conditions, and this series seems to catch my excitement even more than normal this time round. This has a lot to do with the great performances from players of both sides in the IPL, but mainly due to the amazing series these two played out in February. 2 games went right to the death and I’ve got to say that it was the first time I’ve walked into a pub at prime time (6pm-ish on a Friday) and the cricket was centre stage on the TV’s with everyone watching. I’m sure this had a lot to do with the World Cup win last year, and to see it genuinely made me smile. England were of course missing Archer back in February, and so adding his stardom to the equation only increases the expectation that this series should be a memorable one.
Many are of course talking about the pace duos of both teams (Archer & Wood, Rabada & Nortje) who will expect to consistently hit 90mph+; but what excites me most is seeing how some of the best white ball batsman like Buttler and de Kock deal with this challenge. I’m expecting some sublime shots but also some vicious blows from the bowlers to both batsmen and stumps.
England will no doubt tinker with their line up throughout, and so it is hard to predict what 11 Morgan will go with for each match; however they will more than fancy winning, whatever teamthey choose. The strength in depth of England is something to behold and I find it hard to disagree with Banton and Billings that this is the hardest team in the world to get into. Proof of this being both Root and Stone aren’t currently able to get in the 15 man squad, which seems ludicrous after their performances in the intra-squad games.
It will no doubt be yet another big series for some players, and I’d expect that very few will feel their place is secured yet for next year’s World Cup. I even dare say that for someone like Moeen, this could be make or break. This series may well decide how England structure their 11 for the coming year and the 2021 WC.
For me, England’s strongest team would be:
Roy
Buttler
Malan
Bairstow
Stokes
Morgan
S.Curran
C.Jordan
J.Archer
A.Rashid
M.Wood
Although I find it so difficult to leave out Billings (who has been brilliant and dependable) and Banton (who has the potential to be the best white ball player of his generation), England’s batting options are simply numerous and astonishing. I just couldn’t leave any of those 6 chosen out.
Sam Curran then takes the number 7 spot due to his wicket taking and finishing ability; as well as the fact he adds a left arm option. Moeen for me has had enough chances of late, and no matter how good his strike rate is, the lack of consistency he’s shown with the bat and his very poor bowling form means that he misses out. Now I’ve said this, I am sure he will get a chance this series and take 2-12 off 4, then slap 40 odd off 16 balls! Let’s hope so anyway! The rest of the bowling options I think pick themselves, although T.Curran and Topley are great options to have should the pitch offer something a little different or fatigue be an issue.
South Africa will no doubt be exciting with Rabada, de Kock and Nortje in their line up and in red hot form; however only two of those at most would get into England’s best XI. There is of course plenty of other well-known names to watch out for such as Rassie Van Der Dussen, Faf du Plessis, David Miller, Temba Bavuna and Lingi Ngidi; all of which are more than capable of being match winners. However you would still expect England to be too consistent and powerful for SA. They may also regret excluding old heads AB de Villiers and Imran Tahir from their squad, although it is in some ways very understandable with two WC’s to plan for in quick succession; does either of them have 18-24 months left at the top of the world game?
If England were playing SA in a major tournament with their strongest 11, then I would predict a 3-0 victory. But this is a normal T20I cricket series and England will no doubt use most, if not all, of their 15 players. Add in Rabada, Nortje and de Kock (plus numerous other match winners) and I can’t see England white washing SA, so I will go with a 2-1 victory for England.
Main Batsman to watch for each side:
Jos Buttler and Quinton de Kock
Main Bowler to watch for each side:
Jofra Archer and Kagiso Rabada
Surprise players to watch for each side:
Sam Curran and Heinrich Klassen
Sam really is the player that just makes things happen when you need them, time and time again! He has a real knack of getting a wicket or two and they’re often of key players; whilst with the bat he has shown his explosive power as recently as the last warm up game where he managed it twice! He seems to be forever in and out of the England teams, but now is his time to secure that T20 berth.
Meanwhile, Klassen is a brilliant, powerful batsman. He showed just how vital he could be earlier in 2020 in white-ball games with great performances vs both England and Australia. He might not be one of SA’s marquee players, but he is just as likely to produce a match-winning performance.
So, hopefully we are going to see 3 action-packed and close T20I’s with plenty of awe-inspiring moments to enjoy; and I’m sure the entertainment levels will be high despite the lack of a crowd.
Let me know what you think about the upcoming series, do you agree or disagree with my predictions? Also please send your feedback about this article!
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Go Well!
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