England, South Africa set for Champions Trophy prequel

Leeds: With the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 a little more than a week away, this three-match One-Day International series couldn’t have been better timed.

England, a resurgent force in the limited-overs format following its first-round elimination at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, squares off against South Africa, always a formidable white-ball entity even if it doesn’t have the trophies to show.

There is little to separate the two teams in terms of skill and firepower, even if South Africa is the No. 1-ranked team with 123 rating points, well clear of its fourth-placed hosts (110).

First game at Headingley, the only day-night game of the series, will provide both teams with an early opportunity to set stall and get on a roll, something they will hope to ride on when the Champions Trophy gets under way.

England’s philosophy of ditching its conservative approach for a more aggressive, relentless brand of batsmanship has paid rich dividends in the last couple of years.

Eoin Morgan has a glittering array of brutal stroke-makers at his disposal. The fearlessness that the England batting has showcased since that World Cup has made them the envy of batting groups around the world, the ball-strikers complemented superbly by the orthodox brilliance of Joe Root and the experience and adaptability of Morgan.

Coming off a wonderful run in the Indian Premier League, Ben Stokes is the premier allrounder in a team with so much versatility that there is no guarantee that Jonny Bairstow will get a place in the playing XI.

South Africa, however, is the No. 1 side in the world for a reason. As formidable as England’s line-up is, South Africa can match it man for man, even if its batting doesn’t seem to have the same explosive components of its opponent.

The South Africans warmed up nicely with victories over Sussex and Northamptonshire, every top-order batsman getting at least a half-century. Hashim Amla, who made two centuries for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL, is coming off a mountain of runs.

There is depth and variety in the pace attack, headlined by the exciting Kagiso Rabada and welcoming back Morne Morkel, while Imran Tahir, the legspinner, is by a distance the No. 1 bowler in ODIs and will seek to expose any English fallibility against spin.

Teams from:

England: Eoin Morgan (capt), Alex Hales, Jason Roy, Sam Billings (wk), Joe Root, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wk), Chris Woakes, Jake Ball, Mark Wood, David Willey, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Jonny Bairstow.

South Africa: AB de Villiers (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wk), JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, David Miller, Chris Morris, Dwaine Pretorius, Imran Tahir, Keshav Maharaj, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada.

Match facts
Wednesday May 24, 2017 (day/night)
Start time 1400 local (13:00 GMT)