Proteas clash with England in World Cup Opener
Captain Faf du Plessis appears to be calm and collected as always and has forgotten about the disappointments of the past.
The 2019 Cricket World Cup kicked off today, 30 May, with the Proteas taking on the hosts, England, at the Oval in London at 10.30am (11.30am SA time).
This year’s tournament will be hosted in England and Wales and will showcase a number of the best cricketers around the world. Cricket fans will enjoy a feast of 50-over cricket that takes place every four years.
There are almost six weeks’ worth of cricket, with the final scheduled for 14 July. There are two start times – day games will begin at 10.30am British Summer Time (BST), with day-night games slightly later at 1.30pm BST.
Who can ever forget the 1992 semi-final against England in Melbourne, when the Proteas lost the match by the use of the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern method that unfortunately changed the winning equation from 22 runs needed off 13 balls to 22 runs needed off one ball.
Apart from that unpleasant piece of history, the team had some concerns, going into the tournament with a list of injuries, Hashim Amla’s poor form and the team balance not very impressive.
However, captain Faf du Plessis appears to be calm and collected as always and has forgotten about the disappointments of the past.
The Protea’s attack, consisting of Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Dale Steyn, and Imran Tair looks set to construct a memorable World Cup for South Africans.
Hopefully the batting line-up of Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, David Miller and JP Duminy will rise to the occasion and secure the victory.
The countries taking part in the Cricket World Cup this year are England, India, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
