England completed the standalone ODI sequence in opposition to South Africa with a flourish however the Proteas had the final snicker by claiming a 2-1 victory.
Twin defeats in Bloemfontein meant victory in Kimberley was a mere comfort for double world champions England, who’ve now gone 4 ODI sequence with no win.
With only a few months to go till they defend their World Cup title in India within the autumn, we take a look at their prospects.
Is all of it doom and gloom?
No. Scheduling conflicts and accidents meant England had been unable to summon their finest XI – a recurring theme since their 2019 World Cup win. Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Mark Wood and Liam Livingstone had been all unavailable, with Ben Duckett and Harry Brook thrown in on the coalface. Brook, specifically, did his probabilities going ahead no hurt, whereas it was heartening to see Jofra Archer again in an England shirt after 22 months away. He is prone to get higher and higher if he stays match.
Any positives from this sequence?
Plenty. Jason Roy returned to kind with a century – though he adopted that up with two single-figure scores. Dawid Malan could be placing strain on Roy after tonning up alongside Jos Buttler, rescuing England from 14 for 3 on Wednesday. Archer reminded everybody what he’s able to in the identical match with six for 40 serving to England finish a five-match dropping streak and Olly Stone bowled at excessive tempo and seemed menacing within the center overs. Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali and Sam Curran had been reliable, too.
How did the gamers fee?
Jason Roy: 7, Dawid Malan: 8, Ben Duckett: 4, Harry Brook: 6, Jos Buttler: 9, Moeen Ali: 7, Sam Curran: 7, David Willey: 5, Chris Woakes: 5, Adil Rashid: 7, Olly Stone: 7, Jofra Archer: 8, Reece Topley: 4.
Do England want Ben Stokes again for the World Cup?
The brief reply is: sure. In England’s final two World Cup finals Stokes has been the batting linchpin and gotten his aspect over the road by some means. But, because it stands, he’s merely unavailable within the format due to rising calls for on his time. He could reverse his ODI retirement forward of the World Cup – and he can be welcomed again with open arms by Buttler and head coach Matthew Mott. But had Stokes been out there in ODIs, it’s unlikely he would have made the journey to South Africa due to the shut proximity to the New Zealand Test sequence, which begins in a few weeks.
How are England shaping up for the World Cup?
It is, in fact, too early to inform however subsequent month’s white-ball tour of Bangladesh – the place the pitches might resemble India’s – could supply some clues. They are England’s final ODI fixtures till September, when they are going to be placing the ending touches to their squad. Several fringe gamers are electing to skip the tour for monetary or household causes so there’s loads of alternative for these travelling.
Any locations nonetheless up for grabs?
England’s choices tick lots of containers. The absence of Stokes maybe leaves them a batting all-rounder mild, whereas they may do with a dependable back-up spinner to Rashid. But in any other case, whittling down the World Cup squad to fifteen gamers could be one thing of a headache for Buttler and Mott given the embarrassment of riches they’ve within the batting division. If Archer, Stone and Wood stay match then they’ve a high-pace assault to hassle any batting line-up. There can be loads of expertise operating by means of the aspect with 50-over World Cup winners Roy, Buttler, Moeen, Woakes and Rashid that includes in South Africa. While England’s latest outcomes paint a modest image, there are many positives.
