England vs South Africa, second ODI: What time does it start, what TV channel is it on and what are the latest odds?
What is it?
It's second game of the three-match ODI series between England and South Africa.
A fine innings of 107 from England captain Eoin Morgan inspired his team to a comfortable 72-run victory over AB de Villiers’ No.1-ranked South Africa side at Headingley on Wednesday night.
For both sides, the series represents a final warm-up before the ICC Champions Trophy gets underway with England v Bangladesh next Thursday.
When is it?
Morgan’s men will be aiming to secure the series with another victory over the Proteas when they turn out at Southampton’s Rose Bowl on May 27, or Saturday.
What time does it start?
Following Wednesday’s exciting encounter under the lights in Leeds, the second ODI will begin earlier, with the action set to get underway at 11am.
What TV channel is it on?
Just as with the first ODI, you can catch all the action live on Sky Sports 2.
What is the team news?
England are largely expected to field an almost identical side to the one which performed so well in the first game against South Africa.
The one big difference we could see in Eoin Morgan’s squad is the possible absence of all-rounder Ben Stokes, who sustained an injury to his left knee during Wednesday’s win.
Although the 25-year-old has been cleared for the second ODI, it is possible that England might take the decision to rest him with the start of the Champions Trophy so close.
If Stokes doesn’t play, it would likely result in a reshuffle which could see one of Jonny Bairstow or David Willey come into the team.
In the other camp, South Africa are not expected to make any adjustments to Wednesday’s team. The only question is whether de Villiers will choose to bring in Morne Morkel. If the aggressive fast bowler does return to the team, Andile Phehlukwayo is the man expected to miss out.
What are they saying?
“That’s the best way we could have started. It was a complete performance. Moeen [the man of the match] has one of the hardest jobs batting at seven and he was very calm and composed before taking the game to them. It was a very satisfying effort against a really strong team, especially given the start they had with the bat.” – Eoin Morgan
""You get guys batting at 4 and 5 coming late in the game and getting a hundred, that's why Morgan's innings was a game-changer." – Hashim Amla
What are the odds?
England 1/4
South Africa 3/1
What's our prediction?
Following their excellent display in mid-week, we are confident that England can achieve another win over South Africa, especially if Morgan fields the same team. However, if England were to rest Stokes, it would be interesting to see how his absence might affect the finely-tuned balance of the XI.
