Beleaguered England will be eyeing a winning end to their disastrous campaign in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025. They will be facing South Africa in their last game of the tournament. The game is scheduled to be played at the National Stadium in Karachi on Saturday (March 1).
England are the only team who are yet to get a point in the ongoing competition. And they are also in danger of exiting the competition without getting a single point. The 2019 World Cup winners began their competition with a 5-wicket loss against Australia before suffering an 8-run defeat against Afghanistan.
With their semifinal hopes done and dusted, England will be desperate to restore their pride and win the upcoming game. So, as England look to pull off a win over the Proteas, we are taking a look at the England Playing 11 for the upcoming SA vs ENG game.
England Playing 11 vs South Africa- ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Match 11:
Openers: Phil Salt (wk), Ben Duckett
Phil Salt and Ben Duckett are expected to be the openers in the England Playing 11. They are yet to share a big partnership in the ongoing tournament and will be looking to make amends against South Africa.
Duckett began his campaign with a stunning 165-run knock against Australia before scoring 38 runs against Afghanistan. The southpaw has been in good form and will be eyeing another big knock.
On the other hand, Salt has struggled with his form. The right-handed batsman scored 10 against Australia before being dismissed for 12 against Afghanistan. He will be looking to end his campaign on a good note.
Middle-order batsmen and allrounders: Tom Banton, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c), Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton
England could make at least one change to their middle-order. Jamie Smith could make way for Tom Banton in the England Playing 11 after failing to impress in the previous two games. Smith scored 15 and 9 against Australia and Afghanistan respectively and could be dropped from the team.
Joe Root will be eyeing another good outing to finish his campaign on a good note. The former England Test captain followed up his fifty against Australia with a sublime century against Afghanistan. With form on his side, Root will be keen to notch up another big score.
Harry Brook got the start against Afghanistan but could not capitalise on it. The right-handed batsman was out for 25 runs against the Asian outfit. Brook has faced criticism for his failure to score big in recent games and will be desperate to turn things around in the upcoming game against the Proteas.
With England staring down the barrel and in a desperate need of a morale-boosting win, the onus will be on their captain Jos Buttler to lead the team from the front. Buttler would be desperate to end his campaign with a big score. He scored 38 runs against Afghanistan.
Liam Livingstone and Jamie Overton are expected to be the two all-rounders in the England Playing 11.
Bowlers: Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood
England could make at least one change to their bowling lineup for the upcoming game against South Africa. Mark Wood could make way for Saqib Mahmood in the England Playing 11. Wood had a forgettable outing against Afghanistan as he conceded 50 runs in 8 overs and could not take any wicket.
Jofra Archer is set to lead the pace attack with Jamie Overton being the other fast-bowling option in England’s Playing 11. Veteran leg-spinner Adil Rashid is set to lead the spin attack with Liam Livingstone as the other bowling option.
Archer picked up 3 wickets against Afghanistan and will be eyeing another productive outing. On the other hand, Rashid claimed one wicket.