ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Match 1 Prediction: ENG VS RSA, Who will win the match?

It's time for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 and the stage is set to flag off the world's biggest cricket celebration. Host nation England will take on South Africa at the Kennington Oval in London on Thursday to get the much-awaited tournament started.

With both the teams counted among the finest ODI units going around, the World-Cup opener this year promises to be humdinger. While South Africa have been putting forth commendable shows consistently, the buzz has been majorly centred around the Eoin Morgan-led unit of the English, who enter the fray as the title favourites.

Reviewing England

The past few years have witnessed the mercurial rise of England as a ruthless ODI side. Adding a new dimension to their game after the early exit from the World Cup in 2015, the English have assembled a fearless unit of match-winners. Thrashing opposition after opposition, the men in blue have truly been on an unstoppable spree of-late.

However, England will be wary of the pressure that is likely to come along with the huge expectations among the fans. The likes of Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett have been in prime form and are expected to put on a show on Thursday to help England make a grand entry into the tournament.

Reviewing South Africa

The Proteas have always come across as fierce competitors in any format of the game. Players like Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, David Miller, Kagiso Rabada, and Imran Tahir have been making vital contributions to help their side emerge victorious on several occasions over the past few years. However, the retirement of AB de Villiers has left a big void to fill in the middle-order and may affect the team's chances in the showpiece event. The team's supporters will be hoping for their superstars to get going right from the first game a throw a stiff challenge to England at the Oval on Thursday.

Who will win?

After losing their first warm-up game against Australia, England bounced back in style by thumping Afghanistan in their second warm-up match. South Africa, despite looking impressive in their warm-up matches, will have their task cut out when they lock horns with a settled England side on Thursday. Expect the English to prevail in the first match of this year's World Cup.