Jos Buttler: “Disappointed. We played some excellent cricket for the majority of the game. Pretty happy at halfway, a very good wicket for batting, to restrict them to 298, very happy. To have that conviction and commitment to keep taking it on has served us well for a long time. We didn’t commit enough to that, SA came back well and took wickets. The pitch got more difficult and was at its best against the new ball. We are disappointed we didn’t go on to win.”
Temba Bavuma: “The man of the match, that’s where the game changed for us, got us some momentum, the guys after him rode the momentum. After Quinny got out I thought it was a good wicket, the wicket got slower, and the ball got soft. We felt a little below par but it was enough. Got to keep staying in the game, they played well and did it for longer periods than Quinny and myself. Magala was a threat, they haven’t seen much of him. But I was expecting one of our bowlers to do something special. Anrich showed his quality and raw pace. We’ll take the win, we need the points. The conversation will be, are we happy with how we went about our business?”
The player of the match is Sisanda Magala for his 3 for 46: “Very happy considering the position we were in. To pull off that type of win was very good for us. Temba was trying to suss out the situation. I was first-change, it was what the situation needed. Bowl as straight as possible, hit the length, and a few change-ups. Keep it simple. A bit two-paced, and used steepness. Worked out for us. Time for rest now!”
Pitch and weather: Bloemfontein boasts the biggest outfield in South Africa. There have been thunderstorms in the lead-up to the match but the weather on Friday is set fair, and due to be a sweltering 31 degrees.
South Africa vs England Highlights today. 1st ODI (D/N), Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein, Friday 27-1-2023, England tour of South Africa 2023.
South Africa win the toss and bat
Temba Bavuma reckons it “looks a good wicket” and wants “runs on the board in the first game of the series”. Sisanda Magala comes back into the SA XI, while Bavuma himself will open – meaning no place for either Janneman Malan or Reeza Hendricks. Jos Buttler says he would have bowled anyway. “Bit of refocusing into the 50-over format, a lot of guys have been playing T20, so reconnecting with that.” Archer is confirmed for a return, Brooks debuts in the middle order, but there’s no Reece Topley, Chris Woakes, or Phil Salt.
South Africa team: 1. Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Temba Bavuma (capt), 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Heinrich Klaasen, 6 David Miller, 7 Wayne Parnell, 8 Kagiso Rabada, 9 Sisanda Magala, 10 Tabraiz Shamsi, 11 Anrich Nortje
England team: 1 Jason Roy, 2 Dawid Malan, 3 Ben Duckett, 4 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 5 Harry Brook, 6 Moeen Ali, 7 Sam Curran, 8 David Willey, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Olly Stone
Head to Head In ODI’s: 66
South Africa Won: 31
England Won: 29
South Africa ODI Rankings: 6th
England ODI Rankings: 2nd
Form guide
(Last five completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa LLWLW
England LLLWL
Match Timings: 11:00 AM GMT | 1:00 PM Local
Umpires – Bongani Jele, Marais Erasmus
TV Umpire – Allahudien Paleker
Match Referee – Jeff Crowe
Reserve Umpire – Adrian Holdstock
Match number – ODI no. 4512
