England vs South Africa Cricket World Cup Prediction & Picks: Will the Proteas Push the Reigning Champions Closer to the Brink?

While many sports fans in England, South Africa, and beyond will be looking ahead to tomorrow’s semifinal showdown at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, the two countries have some other big business to tend to first, in the name of a very important Cricket World Cup matchup tomorrow in Mumbai, India (4:30 am ET, ESPN+).

Last time out, both teams suffered a major upset. Last Sunday, England fell by 69 runs to Afghanistan, who set a target of 285 and made it stand up with a brilliant bowling performance.

South Africa, meanwhile, went down by 38 runs to the Netherlands on Tuesday. The match was shortened to 43 overs per side, and after allowing the Dutch side to recover from 140 for 7 and finish on 245 for 8, South Africa lost four early wickets and were unable to dig themselves out of the mire.

With two losses in three games, England are in a trickier spot than South Africa, who had soundly beaten Sri Lanka and Australia before their dud in Dharamsala.

A loss won’t be a mortal blow for the reigning champions, with most of the ten-team field already with two losses. However, it will leave them perhaps needing to win out from here to reach the semifinals, which won’t be an easy feat with India, Australia, and Pakistan still to come.

Fortunately, England have a significant addition coming into their starting lineup, which could tip the scales in their favor.

England vs South Africa Odds

Odds are via Bovada.

Moneyline

• England -130
• South Africa +110

Will Stokes’ Return Boost England’s Recovery Bid?

After retiring from ODI cricket last year, England star Ben Stokes elected to reverse his decision and be a part of the team’s title defense in India.

But prior to the tournament, he suffered a left hip injury while working out and missed the first three games as a result.

Now, he is fit to return and will be in the starting XI against South Africa.

Will his return be just what the doctor ordered for England?

Stokes, who is three wickets shy of 300 for his international career, won’t be bowling at the tournament.

But scoring an England-record 182 against New Zealand in his third ODI following his return underlines how much of a game-changer he is as a batsman alone.

With England putting in below-par performances with the bat against New Zealand and Afghanistan, Stokes’ return couldn’t come at a better time. Few in cricket can turn a game like he can, and that ability, and South Africa will not want to let him get settled in for any length of time.

England’s highest partnership against Afghanistan was just 35 runs, and they can ill-afford a repeat of their Delhi disaster in Mumbai.

Recent England vs South Africa ODI Results

2023

• February 1 (Bloemfontein): England won by 59 runs
• January 29 (Bloemfontein): South Africa won by five wickets
• January 27 (Bloemfontein): South Africa won by 27 runs

2022

• July 22 (Manchester): England won by 118 runs
• July 19 (Chester-le-Street): South Africa won by 62 runs

2020

• February 9 (Johannesburg): England won by two wickets
• February 7 (Cape Town): South Africa won by seven wickets

2019

• May 30 (London): England won by 104 runs

2017

• May 29 (London): South Africa won by seven wickets
• May 27 (Southampton): England won by two runs

South Africa have yet to allow a partnership higher than 82 runs, but they made the mistake of letting the tail wag against the Netherlands. England bat deep, so that is something to watch for in this match.

The Proteas will also be looking to bounce back from one of their poorer batting efforts of the calendar year. Only David Miller (43 off of 52 balls) and Keshav Maharaj (40 off of 37 balls) managed scores of more than 30 runs.

Runs from their top order set them on their way against Sri Lanka and Australia, but that didn’t happen against the Netherlands, with Quinton de Kock’s exit kickstarting the collapse that made the upset a possibility.

While the top order as a whole failed to fire against the Dutch, there will be a lot of pressure on South Africa captain Temba Bavuma to produce.

Bavuma (8 off of 5 balls) was the only batsman in their top four to not get a hundred against Sri Lanka, had a strike rate of 63.64 against Australia (35 off of 55 balls), and managed only 16 off of 31 against the Netherlands before falling. He doesn’t need a big score, but he does need to maximize his time in the crease and not just be a passenger.

England vs South Africa Prediction and Picks

England vs South Africa Prediction: England to win

You don’t want to unreasonably expect Stokes to come in and immediately be a match-winner after being out injured.

But his return and what he provides with his confidence, experience, and leadership will be massive for England, even if he doesn’t put a big number on the board.

England vs South Africa Picks

England ML

With little separating the two sides, the ML comes into play here, which hasn’t been a frequent occurrence thus far in the tournament.

Jos Buttler over 30.5 runs (-115 at Bovada)

Bavuma needs runs, but so does the England captain, who has scores of 43, 20, and 9 in the tournament. Look for him to produce against the Proteas.

In 16 matches, he has an average of 49.09 against South Africa, and he scored 131 in the most recent ODI between the two teams in February.

Quinton de Kock over 34.5 runs (-115 at Bovada)

I expect de Kock to bounce back from his early exit against the Netherlands and be in the runs again against England after starting the World Cup with consecutive centuries.

Joe Root over 37.5 runs (-115 at Bovada)

After scores of 77 (off of 86 balls) and 82 (off of 68 balls) against New Zealand and Bangladesh, Root managed only 11 off of 17 balls before being bowled by Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the seventh over.

Root has nine scores of 38 or better (and one 37) in ODIs against South Africa, including two centuries and three fifties.

Where to Bet on the 2023 Cricket World Cup

The 2023 Cricket World Cup will take place in India from October 5 to November 19, and you can place bets on Cricket World Cup odds at most reputable sports betting sites.

Some sportsbooks offer tournament winner odds and other futures, while some will also offer odds for every game of the tournament.

Here are some of the online sportsbooks that we recommend for betting on the 2023 Cricket World Cup:

• BetOnline
• BetUS
• Bovada
• MyBookie

If you don’t have an account at a book on this list, check out our in-depth reviews to help you determine if it is worth your interest and your betting funds. Happy betting, and please bet responsibly.

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