ICC World Cup 2019: Battle begins as South Africa takes on England

On Thursday, at the Oval in London, the opening match of the Cricket World Cup will begin as the hosts England take up on South Africa.

England, who are the clear favourites to be winning the World Cup 2019, boast an incredible batting line-up that runs deep. On the other hand, South Africa which looks solid on paper. With the likes of Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada and Imran Tahir in their ranks, the strength clearly lies in their bowling attack. However, Dale Steyn will not be playing as the tournament opener, which creates an opportunity for Chris Morris to rise up to the occasion and shine.

Some strong contributions with the bat are expected to be made by openers Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla and skipper Faf du Plessis.

For England, Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy will be forming an explosive opening pair and are expected to dominate the right from the outset.

The key player shall be Jos Buttler, who will come in at number six. As he is capable of hitting boundaries, Buttler is expected to be the hosts' trump card in the tournament. In the department of bowling, Jofra Archer is the player to keep an eye on.