The most awaited event in the game of cricket is finally here. After 4 long years, the ICC Cricket World Cup will be on the line once again. This year, the mega event will be hosted by England and Wales.

The co-hosts England will take on South Africa in the opening match of the season. It’s going to be one heck of a tournament and what better than two tournament favorites to kick start the competition.

England Strength and Weakness

England is believed to be the top contender for the title this time around. Eoin Morgan and his men have dominated ODI cricket in the past couple of years. They are the No.1 ranked side in the world. The strength lies in their batting. England has a proper batsman coming in at No.8 which makes just about any target achievable. They have a destructive batting line-up all along.

Also, they possess strength in the spin department with the presence of Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali. The all-rounders like Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes add to the power. The only weakness could be in the pace department. In the recent series against Windies, the pace attack was exposed and the world witnessed that it can be vulnerable at times.

England Squad ICC World Cup 2019

England selected 7 batsmen, 4 all-rounders and 4 bowlers in their squad. Here is the complete player list

England’s World Cup Squad Player Role Batting Style Bowling Style Eoin Morgan Batsman Left-handed Right-arm medium Joe Root Batsman Right-handed Right-arm spin Jos Buttler WK-Batsman Right-handed – Jonny Bairstow WK-Batsman Right-handed – Liam Dawson Batsman Right-handed Left-arm orthodox Liam Plunkett Bowler Right-handed Right-arm fast Mark Wood Bowler Right-handed Right-arm fast Adil Rashid Bowler Right-handed Right-arm leg spin James Vince Batsman Right-handed Right-arm medium Tom Curran Bowler Right-handed Right-arm fast medium Moeen Ali Allrounder Left-handed Right-arm Offbraeak Chris Woakes Allrounder Right-handed Right-arm fast medium Jason Roy Batsman Right-handed Right-arm medium Ben Stokes Allrounder Left-handed Right-arm fast medium Jofra Archer Allrounder Right Handed Bat Right-arm fast medium

South Africa Strength and Weakness

South Africa’s strength lies in the experience. The likes of Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, JP Duminy, David Miller, Dale Steyn have seen it all. Also, they have the exuberance of youth which makes them a threat. The pace attack is also lethal with the presence of Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi. Imran Tahir is a world-class spinner who would be a vital cog in the wheel.

However, the Proteas are known to be the chokers in big games. They have succumbed under pressure in previous ICC tournaments. There have been several occasions in which South Africa crumbled and lost games which they should have won. Each year, they are deemed to be one of the contenders with strong squads but somehow they find a way to lose crucial games.

South Africa’s Squad for ICC World cup 2019

South Africa National Cricket Team is all set to play ICC World Cup with 6 Batsmen, 5 All-rounders, 4 Bowlers. Here is the South African team Squad for World cup 2019.

South Africa’s World Cup 2019 Squad Name Role Batting Style Bowling Style Faf du Plessis Batsman Right-handed Right-arm leg break Hashim Amla Batsman Right-handed Right-arm medium/off break Imran Tahir Bowler Right-handed Right-arm leg break David Miller Batsman Left-handed Right-arm off break Dale Steyn Bowler Right-handed Right-arm fast Quinton de Kock WK-Batsman Left-handed Slow left-arm orthodox Aiden Markram Batsman Right-handed Right-arm off break JP Duminy Allrounder Left-handed Right-arm off break Andile Phehlukwayo Allrounder Left-handed Right-arm fast medium Lungi Ngidi Bowler Right-handed Right-arm fast medium Kagiso Rabada Bowler Left-handed Right-arm fast Rassie van der Dussen Batsman Right-handed Right arm leg break Dwaine Pretorius Allrounder Right-handed Right-arm fast medium Tabraiz Shamsi Allrounder Right-handed Right-arm fast medium Chris Morris Allrounder Right-handed Right-arm fast medium

Head to head ENG vs SA in Cricket World Cup

England vs South Africa in CWC Total Matches England Won South Africa Won 6 3 3

Head to head ENG vs SA in ODI’s

ENG vs SA Total Matches: 61

England Won: 26

South Africa Won: 29

No result/Cancelled/Abandoned/Tied: 6

Here is everything you need to know about the 1st match of the ICC CWC 2019 ENG vs SA

Match No.: Match 1

Date and Timings: Tuesday, 30th May 2019, 3:00 PM IST (9:30 AM GMT)

Venue: Kennington Oval, London