🔴 Live: SA vs ENG Champions Trophy, 11th ODI | Live Scores & Commentary | South Africa vs England

ive: SA vs ENG Champions Trophy, 11th ODI, Karachi | Live Scores & Commentary | South Africa vs England | ICC Champions Trophy, 2025 PREVIEW: When the last ICC Champions Trophy game was played at The Oval in 2017, the organisers had the dream matchup: archrivals India and Pakistan playing for the crown, with the latter emerging triumphant. Despite the success of that event, it was removed from the calendar and was replaced by the T20 World Cup in 2021. Eight years later, the tournament is back, with Pakistan set to host its first ICC competition since the 1996 World Cup. On Wednesday, when the home team takes on New Zealand in Karachi, it will mark a huge moment for the reigning champion and the culmination of more than half-a-decade of work to normalise international cricketing activity in the country. India, though, will not be visiting its neighbour and will play all its matches here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. While the focus has been on the preparations and readiness of Pakistan’s stadiums so far, now that the day of reckoning is here, the attention shifts to the on-field action. The idea of having only the top-eight teams was to guarantee high-quality cricket where every game mattered. Over the next three weeks the fans will hope this spirit of the tournament reflects on the pitch. Though it is tough to ascertain a clear favourite, considering sides don’t play as many ODI games as before, there is a case to be made that India holds a slight edge, even if it has played only nine ODI games since the 2023 World Cup final - the fewest among the participating nations. Rohit Sharma’s men blanked England 3-0 recently and have a settled combination even in the absence of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah. Drawn alongside Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand in Group A, the Men in Blue should fancy themselves to reach the last four. With the home support behind it, Pakistan will want to defend its crown, but the twin defeats to New Zealand in the recent tri-series, including the final, will be weighing heavily, and Mohammad Rizwan’s men can’t afford another reverse against the Kiwis in the opener. Having played frequently in Pakistan in recent years, the Black Caps will bank on that experience to go deep into the event. In contrast, Group B is where things could get interesting and has a potential for surprise. Australia, the ODI champion, doesn’t appear strong on paper. Its bowling attack wears a thin look after losing its pace unit. Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood were ruled out, while Mitchell Starc skipped for personal reasons. The 0-2 defeat to Sri Lanka was not ideal preparation either. Meanwhile, South Africa comes in, having lost its last six ODIs, and England’s one-dimensional approach has limitations, as it found against India. Only Afghanistan, making its Champions Trophy debut, could feel confident of having a strong chance of progressing from this group. Its potent spin lineup, comprising Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad and Mohammed Nabi, could be a handful for teams that don’t play spin well. TEAMS: South Africa TEAM: Ryan Rickelton(w) - Tony de Zorzi - Temba Bavuma(c) - Aiden Markram - David Miller - Heinrich Klaasen - Wiaan Mulder - Marco Jansen - Keshav Maharaj - Kagiso Rabada - Lungi Ngidi - Tabraiz Shamsi - Tristan Stubbs - Corbin Bosch - Rassie van der Dussen England TEAM: Philip Salt - Ben Duckett - Jamie Smith(w) - Joe Root - Harry Brook - Jos Buttler(c) - Liam Livingstone - Brydon Carse - Jofra Archer - Adil Rashid - Mark Wood - Jamie Overton - Saqib Mahmood - Tom Banton - Gus Atkinson #livecommentary #engvssalive #savseng #live