World Cup 2019, Match 1, Eng vs SA: England's Probable Playing XI and Key Players
England have been on fire in the build-up to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. They mauled Pakistan 4-0 and although they lost a close warm-up game to Australia, they showed their class against a hapless Afghanistan side.
With the late inclusion of Jofra Archer in their 15-man squad for the World Cup, England look a far better and balanced side although they remain heavily dependent on their batsmen to win them games.
They will kickstart their campaign with a game against South Africa on May 30, 2019. In a tournament that neither England nor South Africa have won before, many experts have picked England as the favorites to lift the coveted trophy.
England's openers Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow can pummel any bowling attack on their day - such is the nature of their form.
The core strength of any team lies in their middle-order and England possibly have the strongest middle-order in this tournament in the form of Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali.
Morgan and Root will look to stabilize the innings in the rare event that the openers fail to deliver. Stokes, Buttler and Ali can provide the perfect finish that the team requires. Even the tail-enders are capable of piling on the runs for the hosts.
England's biggest weakness is their bowling unit which is rather one dimensional. With the inclusion of Jofra Archer, who gets the ball to zip off the surface, the bowling unit does look less vulnerable but it remains to be seen how it holds up against top-quality batting sides.
If England are to restrict the visitors, then the likes of Liam Plunkett and Tom Curran must complement the spin duo of Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali well.
On the whole, this team seems to have all the bases covered and it all comes down to how they execute their plans.
Probable XI: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Tom Curran and Liam Plunkett.
Key Players to watch out for: Jason Roy, Jos Buttler, Eoin Morgan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid.
Also read - Cricket world cup winners captains list
Follow Sportskeeda for all the updates on World Cup 2019 schedule, news, world cup 2019 points table, live scores, most runs, most wickets and fantasy tips.