England vs South Africa Betting Preview, Odds, & Predictions

A once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon will happen in the sports world this week! The South African cricket team will face England on 21 October 2023 at the ICC Cricket World Cup. The very next day, the South African rugby team will face the English side in the Rugby World Cup semifinals. While cricket is in favour of the Three Lions, Rugby is in favour of the Proteas. So, it will be a battle of the titans in both the top-tier tournaments for which the fans of the two nations are eagerly waiting.

South Africa recently witnessed the biggest setback of this edition’s Cricket World Cup, as 3^rd-ranked Proteas lost their match against 14^th-ranked Netherlands by 38 runs. On the other hand, England also witnessed their setback against Afghanistan, as the Hashmatullah Shahidi-led side achieved their victory against the Englishmen by 69 runs. While most cricket pundits are favouring England due to their recent form, many others also have high expectations from the South African side.

📝 England vs South Africa odds

England is the favourite for this match, although South Africa is not far behind. Fans of two countries, along with all the spectators, are now hoping for a neck-to-neck battle at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, India. While some of our recommended cricket betting sites are favouring Proteas, many are favouring England for obvious reasons. Following are the current odds for this match:

10CRIC

England to win at 1.77 with 10CRIC -> Bet now!
South Africa to win at 2.09 with 10CRIC -> Bet now!

LiliBet

England to win at 1.75 with LiliBet -> Bet now!
South Africa to win at 2.10 with LiliBet -> Bet now!

Bettilt

England to win at 1.75 with Bettilt -> Bet now!
South Africa to win at 2.06 with Bettilt -> Bet now!

England vs South Africa Predictions

South Africa is currently standing at the third position in the point table of the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup with 2 wins in 3 matches with a run rate of +1.385. From the very first match, the Proteas tried to cross 300+ runs with their aggressive batting style, which is also their core strength. They scored 311 against Australia and 428 against Sri Lanka in the first two matches. Even in their last series against Australia, they scored 300+ runs in 3 out of 5 matches.

On the other hand, England is standing at No.5 with just a single win in 3 World Cup matches with a run rate of -0.084. It was a disappointing start for the Three Lions as they lost the inaugural game against New Zealand by 9 wickets. After their sole win against Bangladesh, they again lost against Afghanistan by 69 runs. However, a batting lineup having Ben Stokes, Joe Root, Job Buttler, and Jonny Bairstow is very much capable of destroying almost any bowling attack.

As Wankhede Stadium has a batting-friendly pitch, both teams will try to win the toss to bat first. Fans are now expecting 300+ scores from both sides, although the English bowling setup looks stronger than that of the Proteas.

📊 England vs South Africa key stats

England and South Africa came face to face in 69 ODI matches till now. Out of those, the Proteas won 33 games while the English side won 30. These two teams contended 7 times in neutral venues, where the South African Side won 4 ODIs.
England faced South Africa 7 times till now in ICC World Cups. The English side won 4 matches with a 57.14% success rate. They are ahead of Proteas in other ICC top-tier tournaments as well.
The last time England faced the South African brigade at the 2019 ICC World Cup, they won the match by 104 runs. Ben Stokes, who is on this squad again, became the “Player of the Match” by scoring 89 runs in 79 balls.
England won 3 of their last 5 ODI matches. The Proteas also won the same number of games in their previous 5. However, they defeated the strong Australian side by 2-1 in their latest ODI series.
Wankhede will witness a 35°C temperature with 60% humidity. It will have a low wind speed of 13 KM/hour. South African pacers will possibly not get the pitch advantage if they have to ball first.

England vs South Africa betting tips

Both the teams are underdogs, and fans of the respective teams want their favourite sides to display their best in this edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup. While experts are predicting that England will possibly win the match, South Africa proved all the predictions wrong several times in the recent past. So, it is better to capitalise on the best Cricket World Cup betting offers ongoing on alternative markets, which are a bit more predictable than the traditional ones.

England to Become the “team with top batter” – 1.78 odds (Rajabets)

Three Lions are looking relatively stronger than the South African brigade, especially in terms of experience. While the English side has 8 experienced players on their squad, the SA team looks quite new, along with their first-ever captain of colour, Temba Bavuma. In a pressure situation, it is expected that the English batting lineup will perform better than their opponent. They are also more capable of scoring big runs while chasing.

The English batting lineup is star-studded with great players like Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root and Jos Buttler. Each of them is a match-winner and can change the colour of the game single-handedly. Additionally, all these four players regularly play for the IPL franchises, which has already made them seasoned with the Indian pitches. It is expected that they will go for a big score, even 350+ if they bat first.

Not just the top order but the middle order of the current English squad is also capable of both scoring and chasing 300+ runs in any circumstances. Batting after 2^nd down, Harry Brook, Sam Curan and Liam Livingstone are consistently getting good scores in previous matches. Even the tail-enders like Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid can deliver fantastic performances in tough conditions.

➡️ Pick England to be the “team with top batter” at 1.78 odds with Rajabets

England to be the “team with top bowler” – 1.75 odds (LiliBet)

England traditionally relies more on their batting side than their bowling one. However, their bowling lineup is one of the strongest in this Cricket World Cup, as they are capable of stopping any team under 250+. They will possibly not get any pitch advantage in the first innings, although they will get some turns from their spinners. If English bowlers can maintain the line and length, they will possibly get some quick wickets in daylight.

Even if they have to bowl in the second innings, experienced bowlers like Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali, and Jofra Archer have all the skills to stop Proteas chasing runs. Even bowlers like Mark Wood, David Willey, and Reece Toppley are also in good form as they are getting wickets even in flat batting pitches. Additionally, they will get some moisture on the pitch in the second innings, creating a favourable condition.

English fans are expecting an excellent bowling stint, particularly from Adil Rashid, as he has an admirable track record against the Proteas. He took 21 wickets in 17 ODI matches he played against South Africa, with his best being 3/29. The last time he faced the South African brigade on 1 February 2023 in Kimberley, Rashid took 3 wickets, giving 68 runs with an economy of 6.80.

➡️ Select England to be the “team with top bowler” at 1.75 odds with LiliBet

Joe Root to become the “top batter” – 6.00 odds (Pure Win)

Joe Root is not just an English batting legend but also among the greatest cricketers ever to grace the ICC World Cup. English fans consider him equally talented as their modern-day batting icons like Kevin Pietersen and Alastair Cook. He is also among the most experienced players in the current English squad, as the batting lineup also depends heavily on him.

The former English captain already scored 6,405 runs in 164 ODI matches with a batting average of 49.27. He played 19 World Cup matches till now while scoring 928 runs in total with 3 centuries and 5 half-centuries. In the last edition, he played a pivotal role in England’s winning run by scoring 556 runs with 2 tons. He scored 51 runs in the last time Three Lions faced South Africa at the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup.

His performance against South Africa, especially in ODI format, is also awe-inspiring. He scored 681 runs in total in 16 matches, with his best being 125. Fans are now hoping that if England bats first, Geoffrey will play a key role to score 350+. If they have to chase, he is expected to deliver a fast-paced batting innings as well.

➡️ Choose Joe Root to become the “top batter” at 6.00 odds with Pure Win

📺 How to watch England vs South Africa at the 2023 Cricket World Cup

Location: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, India
Date and time: Saturday, 21 October 2023, 14:00 IST
How to watch: Enjoy the live streaming of the match on Sportsbet.TV (a Sportsbet.io initiative) and Pure Win. For Indians, the Disney + Hotstar app will also live-cast the match for free.