England v South Africa: What to watch out for

England and South Africa will play three one-day internationals starting 9 June in a battle for ICC Women’s Championship points.

The only teams to have played just one round of the Championship so far, they are equal on two points after one win each from three matches and both will be keen to get into the top four of the table.

This is the first time the teams will meet since their dramatic ICC Cricket World Cup 2017 semifinal, when England won narrowly by two wickets, with two balls remaining.

'Revenge' for South AfricaThe image of van Niekerk and her team in tears after the semi-final is not something fans, or the team, will easily forget. South Africa want payback and the captain has already thrown down the gauntlet.

"First of all we owe them (England) a big one after the World Cup," she said. "We want to go at them with a bit of a revenge. We can't go there thinking, 'ah maybe we get one or two', you go there to beat them.”

England’s Anya Shrubsole might have bent down to console van Niekerk in that Bristol semi-final, but expect nothing less than game faces fully on once the teams go on to the field again.

England’s batting v South Africa’s bowling

A cursory look at the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Rankings for women would suggest a match-up between England’s batting and South Africa’s bowling.

England have four batters in the top 15. South Africa have five bowlers in the top 10.

But it’s unlikely to be that simple. Shrubsole, who picked up her MBE just this week, Katherine Brunt, with all her experience, and Danielle Hazell, who proved to be Mithali Raj’s nemesis in recent months, are all-big match bowlers and all in the top 15.

But, not to forget, the visitors have two of the best all-rounders in van Niekerk and Marizanne Kapp.

A new opening pair for England?

In the ODIs in India, with Lauren Winfield absent, England went with Danni Wyatt as Tammy Beaumont’s partner at the top of the order. The two seemed to work well together, getting to two 50-run stands in three matches.

Wyatt wasn’t able to replicate her remarkable Twenty20 International form in the ODIs, but she did get starts and her expansive style matches with the expressive cricket England aim to play. With her ability to clear the ropes, she can provide the kind of early attack that Lizelle Lee gives the South Africans.

Despite Winfield returning on the back of good domestic form, England might consider giving the Wyatt-Beaumont pair a longer run.

Sciver v Tryon

Two big-hitting middle-order batters and all-rounders, both England’s Nat Sciver and South Africa’s Chloe Tryon have seen their roles in the side evolve.

Tryon has risen to the occasion several times this year. Among batters with more than 100 runs this year, she has the highest strike rate of 123.42. Her two fifties against Bangladesh came at a strike rate better than 140. And England won’t have forgotten her 26-ball 54 against them in the World Cup.

England will need Sciver to play a similar role – not so much for the manic hitting, but for bringing dependability in the middle. In the last week of May, Sciver struck a record-breaking 180 for Surrey in the Women’s County Championship. After a middling performance in India, this should come as a boost.