MUMBAI, India (AP) — Two weeks into the Cricket World Cup, Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium will finally see some real action.
This is a most venerable city — and venue — for Indian cricket. The sport first found its roots in this city’s maidans (local parks) a century ago, and the crowning moment arrived in 2011 when India beat Sri Lanka to lift its second World Cup.
This tournament arrives Saturday at a crucial juncture — defending champion England needs to win its next game against South Africa to improve its chances of advancing to the semifinals.
Both teams are in a similar state of mind — shell-shocked at their recent losses to Afghanistan and the Netherlands, respectively.
Afghanistan beat England in New Delhi by 69 runs to record only its second World Cup win. Two days later, the Netherlands beat South Africa in Dharamsala by 38 runs.
England is worse off at this stage. It lost to New Zealand in the opening game by nine wickets, and is fifth in the standings with two points from three games. Those two points came from its 137-run win over Bangladesh in Dharamsala — a good enough margin of victory to improve its run-rate.
“Just because we have lost a game to Afghanistan, it doesn’t make us bad cricketers or anything like that,” said opener Jonny Bairstow after that loss. “There’s a reason why the guys won the T20 World Cup last year. There’s a reason why the guys won the 2019 World Cup, and we are defending champions.”
England has also been the most expensive team in the powerplay, conceding 7.23 runs per over in the first powerplay in its three games. Chris Woakes and Mark Wood have struggled to make an impression, and their form is a major cause for concern.
It was also impacted by Ben Stokes’ hip injury, and the mercurial cricketer is all set to return to action against South Africa.
“I am one person in a team sport,” said Stokes ahead of the game. “It is not the case where I do come in, then all of a sudden we are going to do well. Everyone on the field is a match winner for England and can do something individually to win us the game.”
South Africa, meanwhile, is third in the standings with four points from three games. It won the opening two games in spectacular fashion — beating Sri Lanka by 102 runs in Delhi after scoring the tournament’s highest 428-5, and then beating Australia by 134 runs in Lucknow. It enjoys a healthy net run-rate of +1.385, despite the shocking reversal against the Netherlands.
It was the second time in 12 months that the Dutch side tripped South Africa at an ICC event. The Proteas lost in the 2022 T20 World Cup too and it cost them a spot in the semifinal. Thankfully for them, this reversal has come earlier in the competition and it is only a matter of getting going again.
“I guess that’s why we love sport," said South Africa coach Rob Walter. “A few days ago, we played outstandingly well and then, not well. There are no weak teams in this tournament. If you are not switched on and you don’t win key moments, you will get the wrong results.”
Going up against England, South Africa is well-placed with both bat and ball. In-form Quinton de Kock is among the top-five run scorers with 229 in three games, including two centuries. Pacer Kagiso Rabada is among the top bowlers — fifth with seven wickets in three games at an average of 19.86.
In fact, South Africa enjoys a definitive pace advantage over England. Woakes is averaging 67.5 in three games, while Woods is at 44.66. In comparison, Lungi Ngidi has picked up four wickets at 31 in three games, while Gerald Coetzee (31.25) and Marco Jansen (28.83) have provided good support.
It could be the deciding factor in this high-profile clash at the Wankhede Stadium.
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