The series might already be in the bag, but there are 10 vital ODI Super League points to play for, which South Africa, without a shadow of doubt, will be eager to pocket. They&rsquo;re edging closer to automatic qualification for the 2023 World Cup but victory on Wednesday will ensure they leapfrog West Indies in the table and go to 8th spot. With England looking woefully out of sorts in 50 over cricket, having lost each of their last 5 ODIs, the Proteas would certainly be confident that they can inflict a whitewash and sleep more peacefully. A cracking contest awaits us!Ground DetailsThe third ODI will be played at the Diamond Oval in Kimberley, a venue that has hardly seen any international cricket in recent times. Only one international match has been played at the venue since 2018 and that was an ODI between South Africa and Zimbabwe which the hosts won by 5 wickets.The last 5 ODI scores at the venue have been 117, 278, 279 and 299, but it&rsquo;s hard to read too much from these scores as they&rsquo;re spread over a 11-year period. It would, therefore, be more relevant to look at List A data.A total of six List A matches have been played at the Diamond Oval since 2020 and it&rsquo;s proven to be a largely low-scoring venue, with the average first innings score (in this period) reading 229. However 6 of these 7 matches have been won by the team chasing, indicating that the wicket, generally, tends to get better as the contest goes on. It could hence prove to be a &lsquo;bowl-first&rsquo; wicket.&nbsp;On the bowling front, pacers (29.3 avg and 5.2 ER) and spinners (32.3 avg and 5.3 ER) have had near-identical numbers in the said period, so it&rsquo;s hard to come to any conclusion.Suggested Team<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1675164937997-articleimg" style="width: 800px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-fil"> While you could go for the above team, you can also choose your team from <a href="https://www.cricket.com/fantasy-research-center" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cricket.com&rsquo;s Fantasy Research Centre</a>. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Then, based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.Captaincy suggestionsFor small leagues: Rassie van der Dussen (capt), Temba Bavuma (vc)For grand leagues: Anrich Nortje (capt), Harry Brook (vice-capt)Stats that matter&gt; In ODIs at home, Anrich Nortje has taken a stunning 27 wickets in just 11 matches. He&rsquo;s NEVER gone wicketless and astonishingly, he&rsquo;s picked &lsquo;at least&rsquo; 2 wickets in 10 of the 11 matches he&rsquo;s played at home. He will enter the third ODI having taken 13 wickets in his previous 4 ODIs in South Africa.&gt; Likewise, Rassie van der Dussen is an absolute beast at home; he averages a ludicrous 94.90 in 20 innings. His 38 in the second ODI was an anomaly, for it was only the second time he&rsquo;d been dismissed under 50 at home since March 2020.&gt; Rabada too is a guaranteed wicket-taker in ODI cricket. In his last 15 ODIs, the speedster has picked at least one wicket in 13 occasions.&nbsp;Grand League puntsGiven their utterly ridiculous home form in the 50-over format, van der Dussen and Nortje are must-haves in the XI. Feel like making them the captain? Go for it. It would be criminal to not have Rassie as either your skipper or vice-skipper, especially. But one name that can be gambled on is Harry Brook. A batter currently in the form of his life, Brook misfired in the first ODI but bounced back emphatically in the second. Based on what he&rsquo;s shown at the international level thus far, it might just be worth taking a gamble on the kid.Here are the Top 10 Criclytics Projections<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1675164683802-articleimg" style="width: 800px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-fil"> Probable XIsSouth Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Wayne Parnell, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso RabadaEngland: Jason Roy, Dawid Malan, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c &amp; wk), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Olly Stone, Reece TopleyPowered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Here are a few tips that could help you create your fantasy XI for the third ODI between South Africa and England

England tour of South Africa, 2023

England

South Africa

Fantasy: RVD and Nortje to the rescue (once again)

In the first of the three-match ODI series featuring South Africa and England, <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/9782/jos-buttler/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jos Buttler-led</a> outfit were outplayed by the hosts and lost the game by 27 runs to go 0-1 down.&nbsp;In pursuit of 299 runs, <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/33031/jason-roy/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jason Roy</a> scored a sublime hundred off 79 deliveries to keep England in the run chase. However, the opening batter was dismissed for 113 runs off 91 deliveries in the 30th over that derailed the run chase.&nbsp;Despite the loss, the team management and Roy himself seemed pretty relaxed after ending the century drought. &quot;I&#39;m feeling very good. I actually didn&#39;t sleep that well and had about five hours of sleep. I was a bit overcome with a few emotions and stuff like that. It&#39;s been a turbulent few months, but I woke up really well, though it was the best five hours of sleep I&#39;ve had,&quot; Roy said, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo.&nbsp;&quot;Yeah, it was a little bit of anger around it all, just because I set everything to the back of my mind and locked a few things away in a cupboard and went out and played the way I have played throughout my career and which I haven&#39;t played in the last couple of years. I was frustrated I hadn&#39;t got to that mindset earlier, but it was a very nice feeling,&quot; he further added.&nbsp;The 32-year-old endured a dismal 2022 and missed out on a place in the England squad for the T20 World Cup Down Under. Despite starting the year with a century, he feels there is a lot of work to be done before cementing his place in the ODI World Cup scheduled to be held in India later this year.&nbsp;&quot;I&#39;ve played a lot of games in my career, been around for a while now, and even after a bad year, you can get forgotten quite quickly. It&#39;s a case of keeping pushing, keeping this environment going in this culture we have in the team because it&#39;s a huge year ahead for us in 50-over cricket,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;Hopefully, I will play in the World Cup, but it&#39;s one step at a time. It&#39;s one game into a series, one game into the year in international cricket, so I&#39;ve got to keep scoring runs and just building this team to the place where we were back in 2019.&quot;&quot;It&#39;s been a horrible year - it&#39;s not how you start the year, it&#39;s how you finish it. I think I started last year pretty nicely, and then things went downhill from there. I&#39;ve just got to stay positive and keep pushing,&quot; he concluded.&nbsp;With South Africa leading the series 1-0, the two sides will lock horns for the second game in Bloemfontein on Sunday, January 29.&nbsp;Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

The opening batter smashed a scintillating hundred in the first match against South Africa in Bloemfontein 

Jason Roy

It has been a turbulent few months: Jason Roy on his lean run

South Africa produced a dominant performance in the first game of the three-match series against England at home to record a comprehensive 27-run run win in Bloemfontein.&nbsp;The home team stepped into this series requiring three wins in five matches to secure an automatic qualification in the ICC World Cup scheduled to commence in India later this year.&nbsp;Apart from these three games, they are set to play the Netherlands and ought to win three out of the five games to move to the eighth position in the points table.&nbsp;They started the series with a clinical performance as <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/12518/rassie-van-der-dussen/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rassie van der Dussen</a> smashed a scintillating century to power the Proteas to 298 runs in the first innings.&nbsp;In reply, <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/33031/jason-roy/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jason Roy</a> finally returned to form after a string of low scores and scored 113 runs off 91 deliveries to keep England in the run chase. Despite his valiant effort,<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/63641/anrich-nortje/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Anrich Nortje</a> rattled the visiting side with four wickets to guide South Africa to a convincing win.&nbsp;With the series at stake for the England side and a step closer to the World Cup qualification for the home team, here are some of the key tips that could help you build for your fantasy team for this high-voltage clash.&nbsp;Ground detailsAlthough only a couple of matches have been played at the Mangaung Oval, the wicket is conducive for strokeplay as the average first-innings total is around the 265-run mark.&nbsp;Like most wickets in South Africa, it will assist the pacer and help them generate bounce, which was evident in Nortje wreaking havoc in the first clash.&nbsp;Suggested team<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1674901636770-articleimg" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Captaincy suggestionsFor small leagues: Rassie van der Dussen (Captain), Jason Roy (vice-captain)For grand leagues: Anrich Nortje (Captain), Dawid Malan (vice-captain)Stats that matterIn ODIs since 2020, Rassie van der Dussen is the leading run-scorer for South Africa, with 972 runs in 19 innings at an average of 69.43. He has been in sublime form in the fifty-over format and started the series with a hundred.&nbsp;With 725 runs in 24 innings at an average of 31.52, Jason Roy is the second leading run-scorer for the England side in ODIs since 2020. The right-handed batter struggled with form in the last couple of series but has started this away tour with an absolute masterclass.&nbsp;The opening batter and his exuberant style of play will hold the key for the visiting side in their bid to come back into the series.Grand league puntsIn ODIs since 2020, Anrich Nortje has scalped 24 wickets in 13 innings at an average of 27.5 and a strike rate of 27.3, which is the best for a South African bowler with a minimum of 10 innings in this time frame.&nbsp;In ODIs since 2020, <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/4792/dawid-malan/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dawid Malan</a> has scored 490 runs in 12 innings at an average of 54.44, which is the best for an England batter with a minimum of 10 innings.&nbsp;Along with the southpaw, <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/9782/jos-buttler/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jos Buttler</a> has been in fine form in the fifty-over format scoring 468 runs in 16 innings at an average of 33.43 and a strike rate of 109.9.&nbsp;Probable XIsSouth Africa - Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (Captain), Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi, Sisanda Magala&nbsp;England - Jason Roy, Dawid Malan, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (Captain &amp; wk), Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Olly StonePowered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Here are a few tips that could help you create your fantasy XI for the second ODI between South Africa and England in Bloemfontein

Rassie van der Dussen

Jos Buttler

Anrich Nortje

Fantasy: Trust Rassie van der Dussen and Jason Roy to deliver

We&rsquo;ve got no time to waste. Let&rsquo;s get to business RIGHT AWAY!What&rsquo;s made the headlines?IT&rsquo;S HAPPENED &mdash; WPL IS A REALITY! <img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1674888288066-articleimg" style="width: 800px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-fil">I know me, you and everyone else love to rip into the BCCI the first opportunity we get (frankly, why not?) but this week, it is only fair that we set our agenda aside.Thanks to the BCCI, the <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/mi-rcb-and-dc-confirmed-as-ipl-franchises-to-have-w-ipl-representation-1674640221608" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">WOMEN&rsquo;S PREMIER LEAGUE IS NOW A REALITY!</a>The bidding process for the five WPL teams took place in Mumbai on Wednesday and, in total, the board managed to sell the franchises off for a record sum of INR 4669.99 crore 🤑🤑🤑RCB, MI and DC fans, rejoice &mdash; you can cheer for YOUR FAVORITE IPL team in the WPL too (if you want, that is).CSK and KKR fans, my condolences as the other two franchises have been bought by the Adani Group (Ahmedabad, 1289 crore) and Capri Global (Lucknow, 757 crore).&nbsp;Yeah, this WPL franchise sale has broken the internet because what&rsquo;s just happened is truly unprecedented and ABSOLUTELY BONKERS!&nbsp;A watershed moment in women&rsquo;s sport in the country, and perhaps the world.U19 cricket, YOU BEAUTY!<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1674888358173-articleimg" style="width: 800px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-fil"> Mark your calendars, folks: Sunday, January 29 is the day. India and England will lock horns with each other as both sides eye becoming the inaugural ICC Women&rsquo;s U19 WC champion.The Indian side, led by Shafali Verma, have breezed their way through to the final but England? We need to talk about England and what they did in the semi-final against arch-rivals Australia.To quote good ol&rsquo; Pommie Mbangwa, they were dead and half-buried. They were bundled out for 99 and, in response, Australia were at one point 48/3.&nbsp;Eventually, though, they triumphed by 3 runs!&nbsp;Revenge successfully taken for what Australia did to them in the Men&rsquo;s U19 WC 5 years ago (heck, I feel old) when Lloyd Pope (oh yeah, remember him?) took 8/35 and helped his side defend 127.JADDU IS BACK &mdash; WITH A BANG! 💥💥💥<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1674888406405-articleimg" style="width: 800px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-fil"> Ravindra Jadeja returned to professional cricket for the first time since August and it did not take long for Jaddu to start doing Jaddu things. On a surface tailor-made for him in Chepauk, the 34-year-old marked his comeback with a seven-fer (7/53) against TN in the second innings. Saurashtra still went on to lose the game, but OUTSTANDING NEWS for India ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.SKY scripts history; Renuka caps off dream year with deserved accolade<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1674888470231-articleimg" style="width: 800px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-fil">&nbsp;On the field, Suryakumar Yadav has been shattering records left, right and center but he&rsquo;s now started to do it off the field too. Earlier this week, he became the FIRST EVER INDIAN TO WIN THE ICC T20I CRICKETER OF THE YEAR AWARD! &nbsp;The awards didn&rsquo;t stop there for India as Renuka Singh was named the ICC Emerging Women&#39;s Cricketer of the Year. On the Men&rsquo;s side, the award went to Marco Jansen.ICC&rsquo;s decision to name Ben Stokes the Test cricketer of the year did not go down well with everyone, but no one had any complaints with Babar Azam winning both the ODI Cricketer of the year and Men&rsquo;s Cricketer of the Year award.What (else) has been happening on the field?International cricket (Men)<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1674888553105-articleimg" style="width: 800px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-fil"> &gt; After getting battered in the ODIs, the Kiwis have responded well in the T20Is, beating India by 21 runs to go 1-0 up in the series. Ranchi dished out a rank turner and Mitch Santer said thank you very much.&gt; South Africa came back from the dead in Bloemfontein to stun England and keep their hopes of automatic WC qualification alive. Thanks to a Rassie ton, the Proteas had posted 298 but England were cruising at one point at 146/0.&nbsp;Jason Roy finally found some form as he smashed a 91-ball 113. However, the visitors collapsed spectacularly; they lost their last 10 wickets for 125 runs to end up losing the contest by 27 runs. Make that 7 defeats in 9 ODIs for England.&gt; And oh, Jofra Archer&rsquo;s international comeback was a forgettable one. A 80% fit Archer was taken apart by the Proteas: 10-0-81-1.&gt; Zimbabwe and Ireland shared the spoils in the ODI series after the decider in Harare got abandoned. A tame end to the series as Ireland did really well to level the series after a stinging loss in the first game.Domestic cricket<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1674888656085-articleimg" style="width: 800px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-fil"> So, the Ranji quarter-finalists have been decided and Hanuma Vihari&rsquo;s Andhra are among the final eight. But how they got there is just&hellip;&hellip;.. &nbsp;Not able to put that into words, really.&nbsp;Heading into the final round of group games, the following had to happen for Andhra to make it through to the QFs:&nbsp;- They had to beat Assam with a bonus point- Both Mumbai and Maharashtra needed to NOT take a first innings lead in their respective matchesBoth things happened; Andhra went through.&nbsp;You know why it&rsquo;s crazy? Because Mumbai and Maharashtra PLAYED EACH OTHER!&nbsp;Somehow, both teams EXACTLY SCORED 384 in the first innings, meaning no first-innings lead point for either side.&nbsp;Cricket is truly the gift that keeps giving!&nbsp;Either way, the QF line-up is as follows&nbsp;&gt; Karnataka vs Uttarakhand&gt; Saurashtra vs Punjab&gt; Bengal vs Jharkhand&nbsp;&gt; Madhya Pradesh vs Andhra&nbsp;International Cricket (Women)<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1674888728119-articleimg" style="width: 800px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-fil"> &gt; It&rsquo;s 5/5 for Australia as after wrapping up the ODIs 3-0, they&rsquo;ve taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match T20I series against Pakistan. It&rsquo;s been an absurdly lop-sided tour thus far; Pakistan haven&rsquo;t even come close to competing.&gt; India and South Africa have both sealed their spots in the final of the ongoing tri-series. The Women in Blue began with a 27-run victory over the hosts and backed it up with a 56-run thrashing of the Windies. South Africa slipped up against India but they, too, rinsed West Indies, hammering the Hayley Matthews-led side by 10 wickets.&nbsp;India and South Africa, as a result, will clash in the final on February 2nd. They&rsquo;ll have a dress-rehearsal before that, later today at Buffalo Park.Franchise cricket<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1674888810293-articleimg" style="width: 800px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-fil"> It&rsquo;s been a surprisingly quiet week in Franchise Cricket. While SA20 is on a eight-day break due to the England-South Africa ODIs, ILT20 has been disrupted by rain. As many as three matches have been washed out due to heavy rains in both Dubai and Sharjah ( yep, BELIEVE IT!), meaning we&rsquo;ve not had any action since Tuesday, January 24th.&nbsp;The BBL, though, is ongoing and the KNOCKOUTS HAVE BEGUN! &nbsp;On Friday, Brisbane Heat knocked the Sydney Thunder out in the Eliminator in controversial fashion (read: through DLS).The showdown between Perth Scorchers and Sydney Sixers will happen later today in Perth while on Sunday, the Renegades will take on Brisbane Heat in the &lsquo;Knockout&rsquo; to decide who progresses to the &lsquo;Challenger&rsquo;.Nevertheless, you can read our<a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/a-break-from-all-the-pandemonium-as-sa20-takes-a-week-off-1674821284169" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">&nbsp;SA20 recap here</a>, <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/smiths-successive-innings-of-destruction-lights-up-last-week-of-bbl-12-1674751286985" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">BBL recap here</a>, and <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/roots-return-to-t20s-hales-agony-and-joy-powell-pollard-moment-and-more-1674658339154" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ILT20 recap here</a>.Articles in focusIt&rsquo;s been a hell of a week in Cricket, and it&rsquo;s been a hell of a week at CDC too. Endless quality content that you simply don&rsquo;t wanna miss out on!&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/womens-premier-league-a-win-for-the-past-the-present-and-the-future-1674712377792" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Women&rsquo;s Premier League - A win for the past, the present, and the future</a> (Gaurav Nandan Tripathi)<a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/rashid-khans-dash-towards-500-wickets-1674814669388" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rashid Khan&rsquo;s dash towards 500 T20 wickets</a> (Anirudh Kasargod and Shubh Aggarwal)<a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/rohit-sharma-ditches-old-odi-template-to-add-new-dimension-to-indias-batting-1674575891015" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rohit ditches old ODI template to add new dimension to India&#39;s batting</a> (Anirudh Suresh)<a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/growing-old-with-a-regular-dose-of-basant-mohanty-1674887080865" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Basant Mohanty - Odisha&#39;s unassuming superstar</a> (Bastab K Parida)And finally, a couple of exclusive interviews to sate your appetite&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/mark-watts-journey-from-football-to-dont-bowl-slot-1674466808149" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mark Watt&rsquo;s journey from football to &lsquo;don&rsquo;t bowl slot&rsquo;</a> (Pramod Ananth)<a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/no-better-time-than-now-for-uae-cricketers-karthik-meiyappan-on-countrys-rapid-rise-1674726270251" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">No better time than now for UAE cricketers: Karthik Meiyappan on country&rsquo;s rapid rise</a> (Aakash Sivasubramaniam)Watch this <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/og7E2o0sR6M" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

In this newsletter, we take you through all important cricket updates, providing a one-stop destination to satiate the cricket nerd in you

Ravindra Jadeja

Hanuma Vihari

Suryakumar Yadav

Renuka Singh

New Zealand tour of India, 2023

Big Bash League, 2022/23

SA20 League, 2023

International League T20, 2023

ICC Women's Under-19 T20 World Cup, 2023

India

Australia

The Cricket.com Weekly - Edition 15

Fast bowlers Sisanda Magala, Anrich Nortje, and Kagiso Rabada earned South Africa a dramatic 27-run win in the first one-day international against England at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein on Friday. England seemed headed for a comfortable win as Jason Roy and Dawid Malan put on 146 for the first wicket inside the first 20 overs of England&#39;s reply to South Africa&#39;s 298 for seven.Roy went on to score a thrilling 113 off 91 balls but the rest of the batting collapsed. Magala made the crucial breakthrough when Malan mistimed an attempted pull against a short-pitched ball and was caught for 59. He followed up by trapping debutant Harry Brook leg before wicket for nought. Magala took three for 46 and was named man of the match, while Nortje (four for 62) and Rabada (two for 46) were irresistible as the match reached a climax.Five of the wickets fell to short-pitched bowling. &quot;The pitch was a bit two-paced and it made the bouncers effective,&quot; said Magala.England captain Jos Buttler said he was disappointed that his side had not maintained the aggressive intent shown by Roy and Malan.&quot;South Africa came back really well but I thought we could have kept trying to take it on and put pressure on them,&quot; he said.Although he finished on the losing side, Roy gave an emphatic answer to critics who have questioned his place in the team after a poor run of form since he helped England win the World Cup in 2019. He had made only one century since the World Cup, against second-tier Netherlands, and his previous eight innings had yielded only 160 runs with a highest score of 43.- Archer expensive -But Roy was in dominant form from the start of his innings, reaching his fifty off 45 balls and his century off 79 deliveries. He hit 11 fours and four sixes. Rassie van der Dussen hit a contrasting century to enable South Africa to post a challenging total. Van der Dussen made 111 off 117 balls, hitting only six boundaries.He held the innings together as England&#39;s bowlers came back strongly after an opening stand of 61 off 52 balls between Quinton de Kock and captain Temba Bavuma. England fast bowler Jofra Archer was expensive in his first one-day international since September 2020, taking one for 81 in ten overs. But the rest of the England bowlers made the batsmen work hard for their runs on a slow pitch.South Africa&#39;s total was only 12 runs higher than the average first innings total on a ground known for high scoring. Left-armer Sam Curran took three for 35 in nine overs, mixing up his pace and making good use of the bouncer &ndash;- a formula which later worked well for the South Africans.The three-match series is part of the World Cup Super League and the win was a boost for South Africa, who have yet to earn automatic qualification for the World Cup in India later this year. Bavuma said South Africa had gone into the series determined to play good cricket, whether or not they qualified for the World Cup.&quot;We&#39;re happy with the way we went about our business but obviously we need the points,&quot; he said.Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

The win was a boost for South Africa, who have yet to earn automatic qualification for the World Cup in India later this year

Sisanda Magala

Kagiso Rabada

Dawid Malan

Fast and furious South Africa triumph as England collapse

There is plenty at stake for South Africa as they step onto the field for the One-Day series against England in Bloemfontein on Friday, January 27.&nbsp;The three-match series is part of the International Cricket Council&rsquo;s World Cup Super League, from which the top eight teams will qualify for the World Cup in India in October and November.The home team have five fixtures remaining in the Super League competition, with two against the Netherlands after the completion of the England series.&nbsp;The equation is simple for <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/12492/temba-bavuma/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Temba Bavuma-led</a> outfit as they need to win three out of their five games to go above West Indies, who are currently in eighth place after completing their programme.But Sri Lanka could also leapfrog the West Indies if they win at least two matches in their final series in New Zealand in March. South Africa can guarantee qualification by winning all five of their remaining games.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Time to work 🇿🇦<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvENG?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvENG</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BePartOfIt?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BePartOfIt</a> <a href="https://t.co/XJ1DMsAT4d">pic.twitter.com/XJ1DMsAT4d</a>&mdash; Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ProteasMenCSA/status/1618574616968200192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2023</a></blockquote>Teams that fail to win a World Cup place automatically will have to play in a qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe in June and July. The England ODI series comes at a time of transition for South Africa following the resignation of Mark Boucher as head coach.Rob Walter, the new white ball coach, is completing his commitments with Central Districts in New Zealand, and Shukri Conrad, appointed as Test coach, will stand in for the matches against England.Conrad said he was in close contact with Walter. &ldquo;We share similar ideas. We are in conversation literally every day.&rdquo;The South African selectors ignored calls for a shake-up in an under-performing 50-overs team, and have not injected new blood into their squad for the England series.&ldquo;It is a very settled squad,&rdquo; said Conrad. &ldquo;They understand what is required in this series. But it seems likely that there could be fresh thinking when Walter takes over next month.Walter showed in his first coaching role in New Zealand that he is willing to take tough action after being appointed in charge of an Otago team that had failed to play to its potential.&ldquo;I had to take some tough decisions, and it led to the departure of some senior players,&rdquo; he told South Africa&rsquo;s Rapport newspaper.One possibility could be a return to international cricket for former captain <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/28891/faf-du-plessis/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Faf du Plessis</a>, 38, who hit the first century in South Africa&rsquo;s SA20 competition on Tuesday night.But Walter, who worked with Du Plessis when he was head coach of the Titans franchise before moving to New Zealand in 2016, said his first task would be to talk to South African white-ball captain Temba Bavuma.Eight of England&rsquo;s squad have been playing in the SA20 competition, including captain <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/9782/jos-buttler/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jos Buttler</a>, who is the leading run-scorer, and fast bowler <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/64254/jofra-archer/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jofra Archer</a>, who has shown good form in five matches for the MI Cape Town team.Injuries have prevented Archer from playing for England for almost two years. The pace bowler told journalists in Bloemfontein that he was &ldquo;about 80 percent fit&rdquo; and was no longer worried that his body &ldquo;going to give way&rdquo;.Squads:South Africa: Temba Bavuma (Captain), Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Sisanda Magala, Keshav Maharaj, Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen.England: Jos Buttler (Captain, wk), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Phil Salt, Olly Stone, Reece Topley, David Willey, Chris Woakes.(With inputs from AFP)Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

The visiting side will be bolstered by the return of Jofra Archer, who proved his fitness in the five games of the SA20 league 

Faf du Plessis

Jofra Archer

Temba Bavuma

South Africa seek to avoid World Cup qualification embarrassment

South Africa go into this One-Day International series against England in Bloemfontein on Friday needing a strong performance to ensure automatic qualification for the 2023 World Cup later this year in India. The Proteas need to win at least three of their remaining five fixtures &ndash; they also have to play two matches against the Netherlands &ndash; to climb above West Indies, who are currently in eighth place after completing their programme.But Sri Lanka could also leapfrog the West Indies if they win at least two matches in their final series in New Zealand in March. South Africa can guarantee qualification by winning all five of their remaining games. Teams that fail to win a World Cup place automatically will have to play in a qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe in June and July.Eight of England&rsquo;s squad members have been playing in the SA20 competition, including captain Jos Buttler, who is the leading run-scorer, and fast bowler Jofra Archer, who has shown good form in five matches for the MI Cape Town team. Injuries have prevented Archer from playing for England for almost two years. The inaugural edition of the SA20 league has currently taken an eight-day break to accommodate this series.Ground detailsThe Mangaung Oval has hosted only one ODI since 2020 and that too came way back in March 2020. Australia scored 271 runs and South Africa chased it down in 48.3 overs. Lungi Ngidi picked six wickets in the match, while the likes of Anrich Nortje, Andile Phehlukwayo, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins were also amongst wickets. However, it would be ideal to have at least one wristspinner in your team.&nbsp;Suggested teams<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1674746400781-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">While you could go for the above team, you can also choose your team from <a href="https://www.cricket.com/fantasy-research-center/217782/sa-vs-eng-1st-odi-england-tour-of-south-africa-2023" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cricket.com&rsquo;s Fantasy Research Centre</a>. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Then, based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.Captaincy suggestionsFor small leagues: Rassie van der Dussen (capt), Reece Topley (vice-capt)For grand leagues: Jos Buttler (capt), Quinton de Kock (vice-capt)Stats that matterRassie van der Dussen has a stunning record in South Africa, having smashed 895 runs in 18 innings at an average of 99.44 and a strike rate of 89. He also averages close to 80 in ODIs since 2022.In ODIs since 2022, Reece Topley has claimed 13 wickets in seven innings at a strike rate of 22.5 and an economy rate of 4.4.Phil Salt and Dawid Malan have played six innings each in this aforementioned time frame but averages 50.33 and 59.4 respectively. In fact, Salt has a strike rate of 138.5.Grand league puntsJos Buttler has an average of 57.57 and a strike rate of 122.9 in ODIs since 2022. He is currently also the leading run-getter in the ongoing SA20, having smashed 285 runs in eight innings at an average of just over 40.&nbsp;Quinton de Kock loves playing against England. In 15 innings, the left-hander has 834 runs at an average of 64.15. These two are also wicketkeepers and could fetch you points from behind the stumps.Probable XIsSouth Africa - Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi/Lungi Ngidi.&nbsp;England - Phil Salt, Dawid Malan, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c &amp; wk), Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes/David Willey, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Reece Topley.Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Here are a few tips that could help you create your fantasy XI for the first ODI between South Africa and England in Bloemfontein

Quinton de Kock

Reece Topley

Fantasy: Bank on van der Dussen, Topley

<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/64254/jofra-archer/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jofra Archer</a> is all set to return to international cricket after a near two-year hiatus, in the three-match ODI series against South Africa starting Friday (January 27th), but England skipper <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/9782/jos-buttler/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jos Buttler</a> has warned the general public to not expect &lsquo;too much too soon&rsquo; from the express pacer as he aims to ease his way back into the sport.A recurring elbow injury ruled Archer out of action for the majority of 2021 but just as he was preparing to return to action in 2022, after undergoing a successful surgery, he was set back by a back stress fracture that he suffered in lead-up to the home summer. The stress fracture ruled Archer out of the entirety of 2022.The 27-year-old only returned to professional cricket earlier this month in the SA20, picking 8 wickets in 5 matches for MI Cape Town, and he&rsquo;s been named in the Three Lions&rsquo; ODI squad to face South Africa with an eye on re-integrating him back into the set-up, slowly.&quot;It is exciting to bring someone like Jofra back into the squad. I played against him in the SA20 and he was getting it down at a fair pace,&rdquo; Buttler told Sky Sports.&quot;It must have been incredibly tough for him to come back after such a long period of time. When we see him, his performance level is so high but coming back from long-term injuries, don&#39;t expect too much from him too soon.&rdquo;2023 is a big year for England as they aim to reclaim the Ashes and defend their 50-over World Cup title, and Buttler hoped for Archer to be fully fit for both the blockbuster events.&quot;It is fantastic to see him back on the pitch, doing what he loves doing, and in such a huge year for English cricket, with an Ashes series in the summer and then a [50-over] World Cup later in the year, fingers crossed Jofra will be available for all those things.&quot;Archer, meanwhile, speaking to reporters in Bloemfontein on Wednesday, revealed that he currently is about 80% fit but is feeling extremely upbeat about returning back to on-field action.&quot;There&#39;s no reason to look back. I&#39;ve done my time and I&#39;m here now. That&#39;s the most important thing. I&#39;d probably say I&#39;m about 80 percent. Just some fine-tuning now,&rdquo; Archer said.&quot;I know whenever I&#39;m fully fit, I don&#39;t think there&#39;s much that can stop me, it&#39;s just a matter of when that was going to be. Playing cricket again for the first time a few weeks ago, [I&#39;m] still riding off that wave of emotions right now.&quot;Hopefully in two days it can go up another level. It&#39;s just been good to play cricket and actually not have to worry about if my body&#39;s going to give way. I think that was the most important tick for me so far.&quot;It remains to be seen if Archer will get a game in the forthcoming ODI series, but England head coach Matthew Mott asserted that, being a &lsquo;high priority&rsquo; individual, Archer will be managed &lsquo;as well as possible&rsquo;.&quot;We will work through it with him, see how his body is coping,&quot; Mott said.&nbsp;&quot;I definitely think he is a high priority and he will be managed as well as possible. Part of getting him into the Test summer is making sure he&#39;s bowling enough.&quot;What he is very big on is not wasting too many balls in practice. He really loves his match balls and that&#39;s a great attest of his resilience. We will keep talking to him about his bowling loads and how he&#39;s going.&quot;Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Archer himself revealed that he currently is about 80% fit but is feeling extremely upbeat about returning back to on-field action

Don’t expect too much from Jofra Archer too soon: Buttler

England&rsquo;s renaissance man<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/63082/ben-duckett/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Ben Duckett </a>has heaped praise on<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/10130/ben-stokes/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Ben Stokes</a> and <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/1979/brendon-mccullum/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Brendon McCullum</a> for transforming the team dressing room and has revealed that the current team environment is &lsquo;incomparable&rsquo; to what it was six years ago, when he was part of the Test side as a rookie.&nbsp;Duckett made his debut in 2016 in Chattogram and endured a very tough introduction to Test cricket. In just his second ever Test England suffered their first ever loss to Bangladesh in the longest format, and then that was followed by a wretched tour to India in which he was dismantled by the off-spin of Ravichandran Ashwin.Six years on, Duckett, in 2022, made a successful return to Test cricket in the tour of Pakistan, and the 28-year-old, speaking to Telegraph Sport, revealed how the English players no longer feel the pressure they did six years ago.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s incomparable, really,&rdquo; said Duckett of the team environment in 2016 and now. &nbsp;&ldquo;The atmosphere that&#39;s created within the dressing room is something that, to be honest, I just never thought you could have in an England Test dressing room.&ldquo;Over the years in Test cricket, there&rsquo;s been far too much pressure and it&rsquo;s probably taken out a lot of the enjoyment. This dressing room led by Stokesy and McCullum, we just had so much fun.&rdquo;Against Pakistan, Duckett came into the side in place of the struggling Alex Lees and in many ways, he wrestled his spot back through the sheer weight of runs he scored: in the 28 first-class innings that preceded his Test comeback, the southpaw had amassed 2,111 runs at an average of 52.77.&nbsp;But Duckett believes he was picked in the side as much for the brand of cricket he plays, as for the runs he&rsquo;d scored in first-class cricket. A naturally aggressive batter, Duckett, in the aforementioned period, amassed over 2,000 runs at a strike rate of 72.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s probably why they picked me,&rdquo; Duckett said of his aggression.&ldquo;I generally look to go out and look to score runs. So it&#39;s kind of no different to how I&#39;d play even if I was batting for Notts.&rdquo;The comeback to the Test side couldn&rsquo;t have come at a better time for Duckett, who can already foresee playing in a home Ashes for the first time. England still have three Tests to go before the Ashes - two against New Zealand and a one-off Test against Ireland - but Duckett admitted that he&rsquo;s already dreaming about a potential Ashes debut.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;ll be dreaming about,&rdquo; Duckett said of the Ashes.&ldquo;The thought of potentially playing in an Ashes at home gives me goosebumps really, it&rsquo;s something that I never thought I&rsquo;d be a part of.&quot;&nbsp;Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Duckett also admitted that he’s already dreaming about a potential Ashes debut

Ben Duckett

Dressing room atmosphere ‘incomparable’ to what it was six years ago: Duckett

Right-arm seamer <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/18182/sisanda-magala/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sisanda Magala</a>, who played the last of his three ODIs in January 2022, has been included in South Africa&rsquo;s 16-man squad for the upcoming three-match series against England, starting on January 27 in Bloemfontein.There&rsquo;s no place for young Dewald Brevis who has been the talk of the town. The 19-year-old is currently the third-highest run-scorer in the ongoing SA20, but South Africa want to include him in the T20I set-up first and give him a David-Warner-like introduction to international cricket.Meanwhile, Magala was the leading wicket-taker in this season&#39;s domestic one-day cup, having picked up 17 wickets in seven games at an average of 18.29.&nbsp;&quot;Sisanda has been a good performer in the last few years. We have had some fitness issues with him in the past and that&#39;s the only reason he was left out. His consistency has been the reason why he has been selected,&quot; said selection convenor Victor Mpitsang.South Africa will be coached by Shukri Conrad, who was named as their Test coach on Monday, because their new white-ball coach Rob Walter is finishing his commitments with the Central Stags in New Zealand. &nbsp;Temba Bavuma will continue to lead the side. The right-hander had a terrible T20 World Cup with the bat and as captain but is going to lead South Africa in the 50-over World Cup in India. &quot;He is in a good space. In the one-day format, he has a good record. We are quite happy with where he is at the moment,&quot; Mpitsang said.The likes of Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen are all part of the squad, while Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi will take care of the spin department. Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje and Wayne Parnell are the other seamers apart from Magala.Ryan Rickelton, who was the highest run-getter in the domestic one-day cup, hasn&#39;t been included. &quot;Ryan has performed really well in the last summer. It&#39;s about where does he fit in at the moment. He is an opening batter. He has got good numbers. In a squad of 16, we just couldn&#39;t get him in. We have had a conversation before we pick the squad and the medical team made it clear that the risk is not as high as when we travel abroad.&quot;The Proteas need to win at least three of their remaining five ODIs (three vs England, two vs Netherlands), which are part of the World Cup Super League, if they want to directly qualify for the World Cup. They are currently placed 11th on the points table and will have to play the qualifiers if they fail to leapfrog Ireland, Sri Lanka and West Indies.Squad: Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Sisanda Magala, Keshav Maharaj, Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen.Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

There’s no place for young Dewald Brevis who has been the talk of the town

ENGLAND TOUR OF SOUTH AFRICA 2023

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