South Africa Elect to Bowl in ODI Opener at Headingley

LEEDS – Temba Bavuma, the captain of South Africa, won the toss and opted to bowl first against England in the first of three-match ODI series at Headingley.

Bavuma said that the decision was made because of the conditions, and the surface would be better to chase on. England skipper Joss Buttler, playing on his home ground, admitted he also would have preferred to bowl first.

England handed a debut to 22-year-old fast bowler Sonny Baker, who impressed in domestic cricket and now makes the step up to international action. Jofra Archer also returns to the ODI setup, featuring for the first time since March.

South Africa, on the other hand, will be deprived of pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada, who has been sidelined by an ankle injury. The batting lineup also lacks Heinrich Klaasen after he retired from international cricket earlier this year.

The series continues with the second ODI at Lord’s on Thursday, and the final match is scheduled in Southampton on Sunday.

Playing XIs:

• England: Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (captain), Jos Buttler, Jacob Bethell, Will Jacks, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Sonny Baker.
   
• South Africa: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickleton, Temba Bavuma, Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, Wiaan Mulder, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi.