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Eleven ODIs in 2025 and the England men's team have lost eight of those now. On the back of another series defeat, questions continue to mount even as they came within touching distance of drawing level at Lord's and forcing a decider.
One may dub this last ODI in Southampton a dead rubber, but considering how precariously low England are placed in the ICC Rankings, every win is imperative over their next few endeavors in this format if they are to secure a direct berth for the World Cup in 2027.
Yes, that's how dire England's fortunes have been in this format. And for a good while now - they've changed their coach, Jos Buttler has resigned as captain and yet, their issues remain more or less the same. Of course, captaincy is no magic wand and Harry Brook is very early into his tenure at the helm but he too would have surely hoped for things to have been a whole lot more comfortable.
One way of looking at things positively is the fact that four of England's batters have posted a 50+ score this series. Jamie Smith did so in the first game while Joe Root, Jos Buttler and Jacob Bethell, who was promoted up to number 4, boasted of the same at Lord's. The big concern has been the form of Ben Duckett, who has clearly had a long summer and whose sudden downswing in fortunes can be put down to fatigue. England's selectors seem to have taken due note of it, giving him a rest from the T20Is to follow and calling up Sam Curran for the same.
Duckett has been retained in the XI for the last game though, with England announcing a solitary change with Saqib Mahmood making way for Jamie Overton. Given that Overton is now the third seamer in the attack, it remains to be seen as to how consistently he can land the ball in the right areas given that control hasn't necessarily been his best friend over time.
Besides, there certainly are some glaring concerns with the ball as well, save for Adil Rashid. England haven't been able to land a wicket with the new ball so far and while Jofra Archer snared a four-fer in the last game, he would want to make his mark early on with bit too much expected of Jacks and Bethell as the fifth bowlers later on. To put it into perspective, the duo combined to ship a whopping 112 runs at Lord's while Corbin Bosch, South Africa's pace-bowling all-rounder, returned 1/38 off his ten overs.
That's not the only area where South Africa trumped the hosts though. They have consistently gotten off to steady starts with the bat while their pacers have made a consistent habit of picking up wickets with the new ball across this tour as well as the recent Australian sojourn. Nandre Burger has been regularly amongst the wickets with Lungi Ngidi doing his bit too - even though the latter was expensive in the last game, he produced a gem of a slower delivery to outfox Buttler and give the Proteas one hand on the game. Keshav Maharaj, meanwhile, has been magnificent in the middle-overs even as Bethell took a liking to him briefly in the last game.
There could be some rotation on the cards, especially keeping in mind skipper Temba Bavuma's workload having made a comeback from a hamstring injury. He did mention, however, that the Proteas were down in terms of the number of options owing to injuries and illnesses and that begs the question as to whether he will pull through and feature in the final ODI as well. If he is rested, Lhuan-dre Pretorius should debut while Wiaan Mulder, who missed the last game having been indisposed, could return himself.
Senuran Muthusamy went for quite a few runs of his own in the last game and one wonders if South Africa will bring Mulder back for him or opt for an extra quick in any case as Kwena Maphaka waits for his turn. Maphaka could also come in for Ngidi, who could do with a break before the T20Is come by. From a batting standpoint, Ryan Rickelton continues to search for a big score but there are no such issues with Matthew Breetzke, who continues to enjoy a dream start to his ODI career. Tristan Stubbs has continued to show his worth to the side while Dewald Brevis will be eager to clear the fence as he loves to do, especially as he returns to the venue where he played a few T20 Blast games for Hampshire earlier this summer.
So here we are - South Africa are the confident unit but England remain bullish about their aggressive approach and are bound not to tone it down on Sunday. They need a win for their own confidence though and they surely do not want to suffer the ignominy of a whitewash, particularly ahead of three crucial T20Is for which they would want to take momentum with them. There is some light rain forecast, but we ought to get a full forecast in. Here's hoping that the only rain we see then is in the form of fours, sixes and plenty of entertainment!
England XI: Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid
South Africa Probable XI: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Matthew Breetzke, Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, Wiaan Mulder, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Nandre Burger, Kwena Maphaka
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