After tasting victory in the first ODI, South Africa will look to complete a series win when they face England in the second game at Kingsmead in Durban. On the other hand, it’s a must-win game for the visitors who haven’t lost a bilateral ODI series consisting of more than one match since January 2017.

South Africa and England have faced each other 61 times in the 50-over format. The Proteas have the lead here, having won 30 encounters while 27 have gone England’s way. In the last five contests between these two sides, England have won three and South Africa two. 

Weather and Pitch Conditions

There is a possibility of rain affecting the match in the evening. Hence, depending on the toss, you might want to keep players who are likely to be more involved during the first innings of the match in your side. While the temperature is expected to be around the 29°C mark during the start of the match, it is predicted to drop down to 24°C by the end of the game.

Kingsmead has hosted five ODI matches since 2016 and has the highest batting average among all stadiums to have hosted ODIs in the Rainbow Nation during this period. With a batting average of 40.6 and a wicket falling once every 41 deliveries here, you would want to select a batting-heavy fantasy team. 

Team Combination

On the bowling front, spinners have performed better than pacers at this venue since 2016 in ODIs. While pacers have taken a wicket every 46.6 deliveries, spinners have taken 37.7 deliveries per wicket. Spinners have conceded 33.4 runs per wicket, whereas pacers have given away 47.8 runs to pick a wicket.

At Durban, left-arm pacers and left-arm wrist-spinners have done well at this venue in the recent past. Shaheen Shah Afridi, Wayne Parnell and Isuru Udana were amongst the wickets when they played ODI cricket at Kingsmead over the last four years and this match is likely to feature two left-arm pacers in Sam Curran and Beuran Hendricks. Tabraiz Shamsi, who was excellent in the first ODI, has taken a wicket every 21 deliveries in the two ODIs that he has played at Kingsmead – so you might want to pick him in your side. But like mentioned above, there are chances of rain in the evening, it’s best to wait until after the toss to pick your team.

Suggested Captain

Quinton de Kock showed his class with a match-winning 107 during the first ODI on Tuesday. The added pressure of captaincy didn’t seem to have affected the left-handed opening batsman as he batted flawlessly through his innings. Since the start of 2019, the Proteas skipper has scored 881 runs at a fabulous average of 51.82. One remarkable feature about his batting during this period has been his consistency, with nine 50+ scores from 18 innings. 

X-Factors

Our first x-factor, Jason Roy got off to a brilliant start in the first ODI in Cape Town. He put the South African pacers on the backfoot early on, but before he could capitalise on his start, he was dismissed for a run-a-ball 32. Roy will be bitterly disappointed to have not made full use of a great start on Tuesday, and will be keen to make amends in the second ODI in Durban, the city where he was born.

Our second X-factor is Andile Phehlukwayo. It’s fair to say that the all-rounder is one of the most underrated players in the South African team. Since his ODI debut in 2016, Phehlukwayo has been a consistent performer for the Proteas with the ball, having taken 66 wickets from 51 innings. In fact, since January 2019, Kagiso Rabada – with 24 wicket – is the only South African bowler to have more ODI wickets than Phehlukwayo who has taken 23. He has a fantastic record at Kingsmead, which is his home ground, as well – with eight ODI wickets to his name at a strike rate of 23.9. He can also give you some valuable points with his batting if he gets a chance. 

Among a stunning collection of big-hitters in the England team, Joe Root’s ODI batting sometimes goes under the radar. The Yorkshire batsman has a batting average of 51.06 in the 50-over format at the international level which is an exceptional number. In fact, he is among only eight batsmen in the history of ODI cricket to have played more than 50 innings and to average 50-plus. The 29-year-old also has a very good record in South Africa, averaging over 60 with the bat. In six ODI innings in the Rainbow Nation, he has scored two centuries and one fifty. His bowling is an added bonus and, in the Newlands ODI, he even picked up a wicket with his off-spin. 

Suggested Fantasy XI

Quinton de Kock (c), Joe Root (vc), Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Jason Roy, Andile Phehlukwayo, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, Tabraiz Shamsi, Beuran Hendricks, Chris Jordan