South Africa send hosts to bat first in inaugural match

South Africa has won the toss and sent England to bat first in the inaugural match of 2019 World Cup against at The Oval in London.

The match has started at 3:30pm Bangladesh time on Thursday.

England, the clear favourites to win World Cup 2019, boast an incredible batting line-up that runs deep. They will put four years of planning to the test when they face South Africa. On the other hand, South Africa look solid on paper.

With the likes of Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada and Imran Tahir in their ranks, South Africa's strength clearly lies in their bowling attack. With Dale Steyn not playing in the tournament opener.

However, Kagiso Rabada holds the key for South Africa as he can extract pace and bounce from any track.

Openers Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla and skipper Faf du Plessis will be expected to make some strong contributions with the bat.

For England, Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy form an explosive opening pair and are expected to dominate right from the outset.

Jos Buttler, who comes in at number six, will be the key player. With his ability to hit boundaries, Buttler is expected to be the hosts' trump card in the tournament.

In the bowling department, Jofra Archer is the player to watch out for.

England’s squad:

Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (C), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (WK), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid.

South Africa’s squad:

Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (WK), Aiden Markram, Faf du Plessis (C), JP Duminy, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Imran Tahir.

Source: dailysun