England kick off the final leg of their home summer with a white-ball series against South Africa, comprising three ODIs and three T20Is, starting Tuesday, September 2, at Leeds , just two days after the conclusion of The Hundred.
ODI ,While South Africa recently tuned up with a three-match series against Australia, England return to the format after a gap, having last played limited-overs cricket in June against the West Indies.
The series will see a debut for Sonny Baker in the England squad, while South Africa head into it missing a few of their regulars, setting the stage for an exciting clash between two strong white-ball outfits.
Headingley, Leeds Pitch Report
Headingley has traditionally been a batting-friendly venue in white-ball cricket. In the recent men’s Hundred matches held there, scores of 190+ were posted twice, one nearly chased down, and a 140-run target was overhauled with 16 balls to spare. With no matches scheduled for a week prior, the surface should be fresh, and batting first may appeal to captains, given England’s recent flat pitches where chasing big totals can be tricky under scoreboard pressure.
Historically, however, chasing sides have enjoyed more success here in ODIs, winning 26 matches compared to 18 by teams batting first. The highest successful chase at Headingley stands at 324, achieved nearly two decades ago, showing that pursuing big targets isn’t straightforward. Still, the surface generally remains consistent through the innings. With England applying the two new-ball rule at home for the first time, the death overs could see run-scoring affected.