Last Updated on 2 years by Charbel Coorey

SA vs ENG 1st ODI Dream11 Prediction & Fan2Play Possible 11 Pitch Report | SA vs ENG 1st ODI Dream11 Prediction Today | Bloemfontein Pitch Report

After riveting SA20 action, international cricket is set to get underway once again in South Africa. And there is very little room for error for the hosts.

Sitting in 11th place in the ODI Super League, the Proteas need to win at least three of their last five matches (three against England, two against Netherlands) if they are to move above Sri Lanka and West Indies into the automatic qualification spots. They have named a strong squad, but their ODI form, including against England, has been patchy in recent years. Now is the time for focus.

England are back in white-ball action for the first time since a 3-0 defeat in Australia. Jos Buttler pointed to it as an inconsequential series so soon after the successful T20 World Cup campaign. But now, expect England to also have sharper focus with the World Cup approaching, especially given they play a limited amount of ODI cricket before the showpiece tournament in India.

Match Details

• Location: Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein.
• Time: 1:00pm (local), 4:30pm (IST).
• For cricket fixtures around the world, visit Fixture Calendar.

ENG vs SA 1st ODI 2023 Possible Playing XIs

Sisanda Magala is back in the South Africa squad. The seamer has taken nine wickets in eight matches in the SA20, but he might not find a spot in the XI for this game.

Also, Henrich Klaasen (259 runs, SR 148.00) has shown terrific form in the SA20. But, he may also miss out on a spot.

South Africa: 1. Quinton de Kock (wk), 2. Janneman Malan, 3. Temba Bavuma (c), 4. Rassie van der Dussen, 5. Aiden Markram, 6. David Miller, 7. Marco Jansen, 8. Kagiso Rabada, 9. Keshav Maharaj, 10. Anrich Nortje, 11. Tabraiz Shamsi

Jofra Archer said he is 80% fit at the moment, but is reportedly set to play.

England: 1. Jason Roy, 2. Phil Salt, 3. Dawid Malan, 4. Harry Brook, 5. Jos Buttler (c & wk), 6. Moeen Ali, 7. Sam Curran, 8. David Willey/Chris Woakes, 9. Jofra Archer, 10. Reece Topley, 11. Adil Rashid

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Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

South Africa:

• Quinton de Kock has smashed 513 runs in eight home ODIs against England (avg. 73.28, SR 99.41). He also has a century in two ODIs at Bloemfontein.
• Quinton de Kock has a good record against Moeen Ali (126 runs off 110 balls, one dismissal), Sam Curran (36 runs off 40 balls, one dismissal), Reece Topley (81 runs off 82 balls, one dismissal), and Adil Rashid (122 runs off 112 balls, two dismissals).
• Rassie van der Dussen averages 69.31 after 32 ODI innings (1,525 runs). 253 of these runs have come against England at an average of 50.60, including a score of 134 last year.
• David Miller against England in ODIs: 6 inns, 243 runs, avg. 121.50, SR 126.56, 3 50s.
• Marco Jansen can offer great value with bat and ball. He has scored 158 runs (SR 156.43) and has taken five wickets in the current SA20.
• Anrich Nortje is in outstanding form across formats. After a superb Test series in Australia, he has taken 13 wickets in seven matches in SA20 2023 at an economy of just 6.11.
• Kagiso Rabada has taken an impressive 18 wickets in just eight ODIs against England (avg. 22.05, SR 25.2).
• Rabada has dismissed Jason Roy thrice in 64 balls, conceding just 43 in the process. He has also got the better of Jos Buttler, with total figures of 3/16 in 25 balls in ODIs.

England:

• It’s an important year for Jason Roy. He needs a big series ahead of the World Cup, and must turn around his poor ODI record in South Africa: 7 inns, 149 runs, avg. 21.28.
• Dawid Malan is England’s most recent centurion in ODIs (vs Australia). But, he comes into this series off the back of poor form in the BPL and ILT20 (100 runs in his past seven matches).
• If picked, Harry Brook will be looking to replicate the kind of form he showed in the Tests in Pakistan. He hit three centuries in as many Tests.
• Jos Buttler strikes at 120.77 in 11 ODI innings against South Africa. He has hit 279 runs overall at an average of 31.00. If England set a platform for him, watch out.
• Moeen Ali also strikes well with the bat against South Africa (113.79). He also has 13 wickets in 12 matches against them (SR 46.3), so he will be key in the middle overs.
• Reece Ropley has picked up 12 wickets in seven ODIs against South Africa at an average and strike rate of 22.5.
• It has been a tough SA20 tournament for Sam Curran (67 runs, avg. 11.16 & 3 wickets, econ. 9.42). But, as he showed in the T20 World Cup, he can deliver when required.

Other Stats and Facts

• Head-to-head: Matches 66, South Africa 31, England 29, 1 tie, 5 N/R.
• England may look to play Chris Woakes to try keep Quinton de Kock quiet. He has conceded just 56 off 88 balls against de Kock in ODIs (one dismissal).
• Tabraiz Shamsi has taken eight wickets in four innings against England in ODIs. He strikes every 26.2 deliveries on average.
• Jofra Archer in the SA20: 5 inns, 8 wickets, avg. 18.00, econ. 7.57.
• Aiden Markram has hit 200 runs and taken eight wickets in the SA20, which includes some excellent all-round displays and player of the match awards.

Manguang Oval, Bloemfontein Pitch Report and Weather

Bloemfontein is often home to a belter of a batting pitch. In five domestic one day games on this ground in 2022, the average first innings score was 281. The overall strike rate was 93.

In those five matches, right-arm slow boalers took the most wickets of any bowling type (20), followed by right-arm fast (13) and fast-medium (11).

A hot and clear day is forecast with a top of about 32 degrees.

SA vs ENG 1st ODI Dream11 Prediction Today 27 January 2023

Note: The below teams are not based on the final playing XIs. We may not be able to update these in time. Use the stats and commentary in this article as well as your own instincts to create your teams.

Option 1:

Option 2:

Fan2Play Prediction

If you’re looking for an alternative to Dream11, Fan2Play offers different contests such as 2, 3 and 4 player fantasy teams. Check out and download the app here.

Base Team:

• Wicket-Keepers: Jos Buttler, Quinton de Kock
• Batsmen: Aiden Markram
• All-Rounders: Sam Curran
• Bowlers: Kagiso Rabada, Jofra Archer

SA vs ENG 1st ODI Match Prediction: Who will win?

Both sides are capable of turning it on. But, England may prevail with the experience and quality in their ranks.

CricBlog is running a fan poll on the future of cricket. What’s your say? Complete it here.

• Future of ODIs
• Future of Tests
• What the IPL will look like
• and more…