England's Predicted Playing XI vs South Africa, Cricket World Cup 2023: Will Jos Buttler-Led Side Bring Any Changes?

The Wankhede stadium is all set for a terrific contest, as England take South Africa in match no. 20 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on Saturday, October 21. South Africa have won two out of three matches, with their only defeat so far coming against the Netherlands in their previous match. A lacklustre performance from their bowling unit resulted in the Netherlands getting an above-par total in Dharamshala, which later got settled. Meanwhile, the English side are struggling for consistency in the World Cup.

After a one-sided hammering in the hands of New Zealand in the tournament opener, England picked up some momentum with a 137-run win against Bangladesh. Dawid Malan (140 off 107 balls) starred with a big century as the defending champions mustered a massive 364 runs batting first. Reece Topley picked up four wickets in the run chase and England picked up their first points.

However, that confidence went down the drain in their next match, after Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Mujeeb Zadran fired Afghanistan to a famous win. Gurbaz's 57-ball 80 and Ikram Alikhil's half-century propelled Afghanistan to 284 runs in the first innings. Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan spun a web and dismantled the English batting line-up, picking up a 69-run win.

England are in need of a win in this contest as a defeat could dent their title hopes very early in the tournament, leaving them in a must-win situation in nearly every match. The potential return of Ben Stokes, though, could spark some confidence in the team.

Openers: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan

Jonny Bairstow is one of the best white-ball cricketers in the world and has been struggling for runs in this format in the last two years. He scored only 242 runs in 12 matches since the