England will kick off their delayed ODI series in Paarl on Sunday as they look to build on their 3-0 whitewash success in the T20 series, can the tourists continue their dominance over the Proteas. BettingPro.com's cricket experts have picked out their best bets for the opening game in Paarl.
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Dawid Malan was in fine form during the recent T20 series, as he scored 173 runs in just three matches – including an unbeaten 99 in their nine-wicket victory on Tuesday. Malan will not be taking part in the ODI series, as he is seen as more of a T20 specialist, so it will be left to someone else to step forward and be the hero. That person, in my opinion, will be Jos Buttler. The Lancashire wicketkeeper supported Malan with an unbeaten 67 to take his series total to 96. In ODI cricket, you are expected to be a little more refined and cautious, but that isn’t the case with Buttler. He will probably not open the batting like he does in T20, but when he gets to the crease he will look to set the tone from the off and look to find the boundary rope early on in his innings. I am backing him to be England’s top scorer.
England will be without Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes for the ODI series against South Africa, but they still have a strong enough bowling attack to pile the pressure on the Proteas. The likes of Olly Stone, Mark Wood and Reece Topley will be given the chance to cement their places in the squad with consistent performances, but I am backing Adil Rashid to come out on top in the wicket stakes. Captain Eoin Morgan will probably go into this game with two spinners, but in my opinion, Rashid is a much better bowler than Moeen Ali – but for some reason his place appears to be safe. Rashid is currently on the comeback trail following a shoulder injury, but he is a massive threat with ball in hand. He has taken 155 wickets in his 101 matches, and I expect him to be the difference for England in Paarl.
South Africa will be looking for better overall performances in their three-match ODI series against England. At times during the T20 series, they have batted and bowled well but never in the same game, and they will be hoping that changes in Paarl. The Proteas will need the likes of Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Faf du Plessis and Rassie van der Dussen to all chip in with some big runs if they are to take a 1-0 lead in this series. Van der Dussen showed what he is capable of in their third T20 on Tuesday as he smashed an unbeaten 74 from 32 balls with 10 boundaries in total. He will probably be a little bit more reserved at the crease in the ODI matches, but I am backing him to score the most runs for the hosts.
Joe Root returns to the England side after not being included in their recent T20 squad. Root still believes he can do a job at that level, but others think otherwise. He will be looking to put his T20 disappointment behind him by adding to the 5962 runs he has already scored in the 50-over format.
In the shorter format of the game you always need a good big hitter and a strong wicket keeper – well luckily for England and South Africa they both have one. England’s Jos Buttler knows just one way, and that is go big or go home. He will be looking to score runs very quickly, while he is improving behind the stumps and will snap up any chances that come his. The same can be said about Quinton de Kock, he has scored over five thousand runs in his ODI career, while he is very capable with the gloves on.
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