ENG vs SA Prediction: Who will win the 3rd ODI?
England and South Africa will square off in the third and final ODI of their three-match series to be played on Sunday, July 24, at Headingley, Leeds.
England bounced back after losing the opening game by 62 runs. In a rain-curtailed affair, they batted first in what was a 29-overs-per-side contest. The hosts lost early wickets and were reduced to 72/5 in the 12th over itself.
Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow and Phil Salt got starts but could not convert them into big scores. Joe Root and Moeen Ali failed to make any significant contributions while Jos Buttler departed pretty soon as well.
However, Liam Livingstone (38), Sam Curran (35) and David Willey (21) came to the rescue, making some important runs at the backend of the innings and also scoring at a quick pace. England folded up at 201 from 28.1 overs.
Dwaine Pretorius was the most successful bowler for South Africa in the second ODI as he picked up four wickets, including the ones of Bairstow, Salt and Root at the top. He found able support in Anrich Nortje and Tabraiz Shamsi, each of whom picked up a couple of wickets as well.
South Africa got off to the worst possible start in the chase as they were left reeling at 6/4 inside four overs. David Willey and Reece Topley ran through the top order as Janneman Malan, Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markam were all sent back without scoring a single run.
There was no coming back for the Proteas as they were bowled out for 83, falling short by 118 runs in the end. Adil Rashid grabbed three wickets while Reece Topley and Moeen Ali accounted for two apiece.
Can South Africa (SA) beat England (ENG) in the second ODI?
The series is now tied at 1-1 with England coming into this ODI on the back of a massive win in the second game. Their batters displayed great intent and batted the way they should have in a truncated contest. South Africa did well to pick up wickets but could not control the flow of runs.
Coming to their batting, they fell apart like a pack of cards right from the beginning. They do not have a lot of time to regroup as a unit and will have to put this loss behind them soon.
With a good all-round performance, England go into the third ODI as favorites to win and take the series as well.
Prediction: England (ENG) to win the third ODI.