Match abandoned due to COVID-19 pandemic
9:35 am local, 13:05 IST: Big breaking news from Paarl. Today's game has been abandoned. This is concerning indeed. First Cape Town and now here. I am afraid if we'll get anymore cricket at all on this tour. It's turning out to be a sad end to what promised to be an exciting series. Anyway, keep a tab on our site/app as we should get more details on this matter pretty soon. That's all we've got for now as we sign off from here. There is cricket happening in Sydney between Australia and India, switch tabs and follow the action. Ciao, ciao!
Meanwhile, the injury to Kagiso Rabada and absence of Faf du Plessis is not something South Africa would have asked for, given their performances in colored clothing. They do look slightly depleted with a fairly inexperienced squad. However, that also gives them an opportunity to start building a solid team for the next ODI World Cup and add some fresh faces in the squad. George Linde might be presented his ODI cap. With the addition of Joe Root, England's batting looks solid as ever, just that they need to strike the right combination with the bowling department and make sure it looks fairly balanced in the absence of Stokes and Archer. Will South Africa manage to turn things around or will England continue to dominate on this limited-over tour, if at all it takes place?
09:11 am local, 12:43 pm IST Blimey! There is an important update from the ground. "The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket South Africa (CSA) have agreed to delay the start time for today’s One-Day International match, which is due to take place in Paarl. The England players and management underwent an additional round of PCR tests on Saturday evening, after two members of the hotel staff testing positive for COVID-19. Whilst the ECB awaits ratification of those test results the decision has been taken to delay the start of today’s ODI match," -- An official press release from the ECB. The suspense continues..
Coming back to cricket. England were nothing less than clinical in the T20Is as they thumped South Africa by a 3-0 margin. Their bowling clicked and so did their batting as they looked class apart. It's now time for that format which England excel at. They're the defending champions after all. Being the visiting team, they managed to win all the three T20Is, hence Morgan and his boys would be riding high on confidence after their prolific performance in the past one week. South Africa have looked good, but in patches; and they need to get their act together before it gets too late. The fact that England have rested Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes and Sam Curran makes it slightly easier for them. Also, England don't have a great ODI record in South Africa, hence the Proteas can afford to breathe.
9:00 am local, 12:30 pm IST: Chaos broke out a few hours before the start of the series opener on Friday after an unnamed South African player tested positive for Covid. This unfortunate development not only caused muddle in both the camps but uncertainty prevailed whether the tour will go ahead or not. Thankfully, 24 hours later, the results of the entire Protea contingent - who all were made to undergo tests - turned out to be negative. This news came as a breather for everyone involved and it has put the series back on track with a minor tweak in the schedule with back-to-back games slotted on Sunday and Monday. So, what should've been the second ODI originally will now be the first game and here we are in the beautiful city of Paarl.
Preview by Rob Johnston
After the drama of the last 24 hours and the postponement of Friday's opening ODI, confirmation that South Africa's squad returned a full batch of negative COVID-19 test results on Saturday morning was welcomed with no little relief. A positive test would have likely forced the tour's cancellation. As it is, the news was good rather than bad and the clean bill of health means the series can go on, beginning on Sunday in Paarl.
The revised schedule will now see the teams play the first two matches back-to-back, with Monday's game taking place at Newlands, before the third ODI takes place on Wednesday, its original date. It is not an ideal situation from a performance point of view but such is life in a COVID world. As we have all found out over the past nine months, the best laid plans are just as likely to go to waste than go ahead.
Given the change to the schedule, a good start is even more important than usual. England may be missing Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Sam Curran but they have more than enough white-ball depth to make up for it. Five years ago, if England had rested three of their first-choice team for an away ODI trip, they would have got pumped. Now, they barely even notice. South Africa are missing a number of first choice players too but the calibre of their replacements cannot match England's.
While next year's T20 World Cup may have forced ODI cricket to the bottom of both team's priority lists, for the time being anyway, for those on the fringes who get a chance in this series, plenty is still riding on it. That is always the way in international cricket, no matter the context. There is always a player or two who has something to prove, something to gain or something to lose. Then there are the Cricket World Cup Super League points on offer, of course.
For England, Mark Wood will be looking to remind everyone of his credentials after missing out in the T20 series while Moeen Ali could do with an upturn in form to ward off advances from the likes of Liam Dawson and Matt Parkinson. Sam Billings will get the chance to consolidate his position as England's first reserve batsman.
For the hosts, there will most likely be opportunities for Janneman Malan, who made a century against Australia earlier this year, and Kyle Verreynne to build on promising starts to their ODI careers.
The absences of Kagiso Rabada and Faf du Plesiss clearly weaken the hosts but perhaps they would do well to look back to the last ODI played at Boland Park, in February, for comfort. South Africa beat Australia comprehensively without Rabada or du Plessis, bowling Aaron Finch's team out for 217. Nine of the wickets were shared by bowlers likely to play on Sunday. After a tough week of T20 cricket and COVID issues, a repeat of that performance would do them very nicely indeed.
When: Sunday December 6, 2020. 10:00am Local Time
Where: Boland Park, Paarl
What to Expect: The surface for the T20 at this ground a week ago was not the batting paradise that had been expected. It was more turgid than true. But this game will be played on a different pitch which should, if it reverts to normal Boland Park type, favour the batsmen. It is set to be a scorcher in Paarl, with temperatures forecast to rise above 30 degrees.
Team News
South Africa
South Africa are without Faf du Plessis, rested, and Kagiso Rabada, injured, but at least they look set to have David Miller and Andile Phehlukwayo back after the pair missed the T20I series. The hosts look set to include two spinners with George Linde, so impressive in the T20s, joining Tabraiz Shamsi. It will be Linde's ODI debut.
Possible XI: Quinton de Kock, Janneman Malan, Jon-Jon Smuts, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, George Linde, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi
England
With two matches in two days coming up, England may change their side more than is customary but are set to start the series with their strongest available team. Joe Root and Chris Woakes, two mainstays of the ODI team, return after missing the T20s while Moeen Ali could be given his first run out of the tour. Sam Billings impressed during the summer and will play in the middle order.
Possible XI: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler, Sam Billings, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Tom Curran, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid
Squads:
South Africa Squad: Quinton de Kock(w/c), Janneman Malan, JJ Smuts, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, George Linde, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi, Temba Bavuma, Beuran Hendricks, Keshav Maharaj, Junior Dala, Heinrich Klaasen, Lutho Sipamla, Glenton Stuurman
England Squad: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan(c), Jos Buttler(w), Sam Billings, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Tom Curran, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid, Olly Stone, Reece Topley, Lewis Gregory, Liam Livingstone