Many thanks to Danny Frankland, who wrote a review of the first ODI in the absence of the normal culprits. Danny has agreed to write for us more often and we’re thrilled to have him on board. So play nice….

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So England faced the ODI team currently ranked number 1 by the ICC and beat them convincingly in the end. A cause for celebration, you’d assume, but everyone’s focus is already on the Champions Trophy which begins in 8 days. The side England chose for this first game is widely expected to be their starting XI in the tournament, and so the team’s performance provides a useful gauge of what we can expect over the next 4 weeks.

Strengthened Their Position

Eoin Morgan – Of course as captain, Morgan’s place was already secure. He does attract a lot of criticism though, so his performance today will have quieted his naysayers (at least temporarily). He got a dominating score of 107 with the bat, and rotated the bowling well which seemed to create wickets from what was a very flat pitch.

Moeen Ali – As Sean B wrote before the game, Moeen’s ODI credentials are not as strong as England’s other all-rounders. His career averages are 27.75 with the bat and 47.54 with the ball, so he arguably wouldn’t get in the team either as a batsman or bowler alone. The two things he has going for him are that his bowling is typically economical, and he has the potential to bat like he has in this game. Moeen’s 117 run partnership with Morgan shaped the whole game, taking England’s score high enough to put pressure on South Africa’s batting lineup. He also bowled well, taking 2 wickets for only the second time in his previous 21 ODIs including the crucial dismissal of de Villiers.

Chris Woakes – Arguably England’s best ODI all-rounder, Woakes had a great game with the ball taking 4 wickets for only 38 runs. Crucially he quickly finished off the tail, which can sometimes be a problem for England’s bowlers.

Alex Hales – Although he’ll be disappointed with the way he lost his wicket to a very loose shot, Hales’ 61 set a strong platform for England to build on. After confirming his status as England’s best ODI opener in this game, it would be incredibly surprising if he didn’t play every game of the Champions Trophy.

No Change

Joe Root – Not a great innings by Root, but not terrible either. Since the 2015 World Cup, Root has averaged 63.00 in ODIs, so his position was never under threat. However he will be under even more scrutiny in the coming weeks, as people try to work out if the added pressure and attention from the Test captaincy will affect his batting.

Adil Rashid – Rashid is what he is; An expensive bowler who takes wickets. That’s what he did in this game, and England’s management clearly believe that it’s a tradeoff worth making.

Liam Plunkett – An economical but non-threatening performance on a very flat pitch in this game by Plunkett. I honestly had forgotten he was playing in this game when I was writing this report.

Weakened Their Position

Jos Buttler – With two more wicketkeepers in the squad, Buttler’s position is arguably the one under most threat from this starting XI. Whilst he was solid behind the stumps taking 4 catches, scoring only 7 runs won’t have done him any favours with the selectors. The manner of dismissal might be worrying too, as the South Africans appeared to have a specific plan to get him out and it worked.

Jason Roy – Only scoring 1 from 6 balls is always going to be a poor day’s work for an opening batsman. With the continued good performances from Hales, Root and Morgan, Roy might be the weakest specialist batsman in the team, if England’s management wanted to get Bairstow or Billings in the side without sacrificing Buttler.

Mark Wood – England’s least economical bowler in this game, both Amla and de Villiers took a liking to his bowling. They are world-class batsmen though, and he did get his revenge on Amla with a great LBW dismissal.

Ben Stokes – A disappointing game for the two million dollar man, but most worrying for everyone will be a knee injury which meant he only bowled two overs in the game. Captain Morgan said after the game that Ben was available to bowl if needed, which hopefully means it’s a very minor niggle.

On To Southampton

The next game in the series is on Saturday at the Ageas Bowl, starting at 11am. Changes are certain to be made, as it would be very surprising if Stokes played with even a minor injury on the eve of a tournament. Willey is the closest like-for-like replacement in the squad, and so would be the favourite to play in Stokes’ place. Ball, Bairstow and Billings will all be eager to press their case to play in the Champions Trophy, if given the opportunity.

As ever, thoughts and comments on the game below:

With the ODI series starting tomorrow, it finally feels like the international summer has arrived and hence will likely give us a true indication on whether Director Comma was right to place such an emphasis on white ball cricket since his appointment. Without wanting to disrespect the West Indies or an Ireland team that is tragically starting to wane, the upcoming series will give us an idea as to whether England are the real deal in one day cricket or whether it has been another false dawn.

On paper, the South African side looks as strong as any in International cricket at this current juncture, with a plethora of talented batsmen, bowlers and all-rounders. The opening partnership of Quinton De Kock and Hashim Amla offers both explosive power and exquisite timing in order to get the South African team off to a flyer, with De Kock in particular, in prime form at the moment. Of course, any side boasting the talents of AB De Villiers are going to be a threat to the opposing bowling attack, even if he looked slightly out of sorts in the IPL and with the late power hitting abilities of David Miller and Chris Morris, the South African batting attack is certainly up there with the best. As for the bowling, it isn’t quite as formidable as the batting but still boasts the likes of Rabada, Morkel and of course Imran Tahir, who despite his quite frankly ridiculous wicket celebrations, is one of the premier spin bowlers in one day cricket.

As for England, it seems rather surreal that they have actually had a settled side in the lead up to the tournament. I keep waking up waiting to hear that Gary Ballance has been parachuted into the side, but so far England are approaching the tournament with alarming efficiency. However, this is going to be the acid test as we approach the Champions Trophy. We keep hearing from the England squad about how much they’ve improved, which they have and how they are now a match for anyone in white ball cricket. Indeed Sam Billings recently said:

“Previously in this country we haven’t made one-day cricket a priority as such, but now people are petrified of our side now and you only find that out by talking to them.

 It’s very interesting to hear what other internationals think of our side. It’s kind of gone full circle – people now think we have a seriously good squad. You’ve probably got ten more guys who could slot in and do well. It keeps everyone on their toes. 

Generally there’s a buzz around the reputation of the England team in white ball cricket – it’s amazing to think about that transition from two years ago.”

Now of course there is nothing wrong about being bullish about England’s chances in the Champions Trophy, but there is a fine line between positivity and overconfidence. It is worth still remembering that England are ranked number 5 in the ODI format and whilst other teams have a new found respect for England, I very much doubt that they are petrified. Certainly not yet.

As for the make up of the side, it is now a pretty settled team with only slight question marks around the identity of the number 7 and which fast bowler will get the nod alongside Woakes and Wood (if he can stay fit). The main school of thought will be that Moeen comes in at number 7, which provides England with 6 full time bowling options; however I wouldn’t be too surprised if England went with Root as the 6^th bowler and someone like Billings coming in at 7 to be the so called finisher, especially if the pitches are not particularly spin friendly. As for the bowling, which is without doubt the weaker link of England’s ODI team, it seems like it is a straight fight between Willey and Plunkett to be the main third seamer in this team. As for Jonny Bairstow, who is in the form of his life, it does appear that he is condemned to be carrying the drinks unless one of the top 5 picks up an injury.

This summer and winter are likely to define the reigns of both Bayliss and Strauss in both red ball and white ball cricket, and both sorely need for England to be successful in the Champions Trophy to build momentum going into the Test Series. If England fall in heap in the Champions Trophy and then fail to beat South Africa in the Test series, there are going to be some very awkward questions to be answered in the build up to the Ashes tour. The rhetoric stops now, it’s all about what England can do on the park. An interesting summer of cricket certainly awaits.

As ever, thoughts and comments on the game below: