As it happened | ENGvSA: England defeat South Africa by 104 runs in World Cup opener

England defeat South Africa by 104 runs

Eoin Morgan-led England defeated South Africa by 104 runs in the inaugural match of the Cricket World Cup 2019 on Thursday at the Oval stadium. 

Chasing 312 runs to win, South Africa were all out for 207 in 39.5 overs. 

South Africa's top batting order collapsed despite opener Quinton de Kock, who scored 68 runs before losing his wicket to Liam Plunkett. 

Rassie van der Dussen also played a decent knock but could not inspire the team towards victory. 

South Africa also suffered a huge scare as Hasim Amla retired hurt after being hit by a Jofra Archer bouncer but later came to bat again and eventually lost his wicket to Plunkett after scoring 13 runs. 

Earlier, Ben Stokes top-scored with 89 as England posted a solid but not commanding total of 311 for eight. 

Jason Roy, Joe Root and Eoin Morgan also passed fifty in favourable batting conditions, but England were never able to break free from the shackles imposed by a disciplined South African attack.

After being put in to bat, the tournament favourites lost Jonny Bairstow to the second ball of the innings, caught by wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock off spinner Imran Tahir, but Roy and Root shared a 106-run partnership to steady the hosts.

Roy never threatened to dismantle the bowling as he has done regularly in recent matches, accumulating 54 runs before he skied Andile Phehlukwayo to Faf du Plessis at mid-off.

Three balls later Root departed for 51, playing a loose drive at Kagiso Rabada to give JP Duminy a simple catch at backward point and leave England on 111 for three.

South Africa continued to bowl tightly as Morgan and Stokes set about rebuilding the innings.

Morgan struck the first six in the 26th over and the captain cleared the ropes twice more in a fourth-wicket partnership of 106.

Morgan, on 57, was brilliantly caught off Tahir by Aiden Markram at long-on, the fielder diving forward to catch the ball inches from the turf, and England failed to cut free.

Jos Buttler made a scratchy 18, Moeen Ali three before he too fell to a superb catch on the boundary by Du Plessis and Chris Woakes 13 as the last 10 overs produced 76 runs to leave the match finely poised at the half-way stage.

What brilliant catch by Ben Stokes...It's otherworldly.

Adil Rashid to Andile Phehlukwayo, catch out by Stokes. 

Phehlukwayo scored 24 off 25 balls. 

Next batsman is Rabada. 

Jofra Archer strikes again!

Archer to der Dussen, catch out by Moeen Ali. 

Van der Dussen departs after completing his half-century. 

He scored a total of 50 runs off 61 balls. 

Hashim Amla back on the crease...

Amla retired hurt after being hit by a Jofra Archer bouncer. 

Amla had made five when he missed an intended pull off the fast bowler, the ball crashing into the grille of his helmet after he was beaten for sheer speed. He had several minutes of on-field treatment before walking off.

Instead of building partnerships, South Africa are losing wickets. 

Dwaine Pretorius run out after scoring 1 run. 

Next batsman is Andile Phehlukwayo. 

JP Duminy out...

Moeen Ali to Duminy, catch out by Ben Stokes. 

Duminy scored 8 runs off 11 balls. 

Next batsman is Dwaine Pretorius. 

Things are not looking good for South Africa at the moment, they need partnerships. 

After 26 overs, South Africa are 142/4. 

Quinton de Kock departs after scoring 68 runs off 74 balls. 

Liam Plunkett to de Kock, catch out by Joe Root. 

Next batsman is JP Duminy. 

South Africa are 135/3 after 24 overs. 

After 15 overs, South Africa are 74/2. 

Jofra Archer strikes again and takes a crucial wicket. 

Archer to Faffy, catch out by Moeen Ali. 

Du Plessis scored 5 runs off 7 balls. 

Next batsman is Rassie van der Dussen. 

South Africa are 44/2 after 10 overs. 

Markram out!

It's the English trump card showing his game...

Jofra Archer sends back Aiden Markram. 

Archer to Markram, catch out by Joe Root. 

Markram scored 11 runs of 12 balls. 

Next batsman is Faf du Plessis.

Hashim Amla retires hurt on Jofra Archer's pace delivery. 

The physio comes at the crease and checks everything but Amla is not looking good. 

Finally, he is walking back to the pavilion. 

Next batsman is Aiden Markram. 

New injury scare is not good news for the South African team just at the start of the tournament as they are already dealing with several.  

South Africa begin the 312-run chase. 

Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla are at the crease and Chris Woakes will launch the bowling attack. 

Innings Break:

England put up 311 runs against South Africa in inaugural match. 

South Africa restricted England to 311 for eight in the World Cup opener at the Oval on Thursday as the tournament hosts and favourites made a stuttering start in their quest to win the trophy for the first time.

Ben Stokes top-scored with 89, while England captain Eoin Morgan (57), Jason Roy (54) and Joe Root (51) all made the fifties. 

Ben Stokes out!

Ngidi to Ben Stokes, catch out by Amla. 

Stokes scored 89 off 79. 

Next batsman is Jofra Archer.  

One more wicket...

Rabada sends Woakes back to pavilion. 

Rabada to Woakes, catch out by du Plessis. 

He scored 13 runs off 14 balls. 

Next batsman is Liam Plunkett. 

England are 294/7 after 48 overs. 

After 45 overs, England are 265/6. 

The current run rate is 6.06. 

Ngidi strikes again and takes Moeen Ali's wicket!

Ngidi to Ali, catch out by Faffy.

Extraordinary catch by the South African skipper. 

Moeen Ali scored 3 off 9 balls. 

Next batsman is Chris Woakes. 

England are 260/6 after 44 overs. 

Another wicket!

Jos Buttler departs...

Pacer Lungi Ngidi to Buttler, clean bowled. 

Buttler scored 18 off 16 balls. 

Next batsman is Moeen Ali. 

Here's a wicket!

Imran Tahir strikes again and takes the most crucial wicket of Morgan. 

Tahir to Morgan, catch out by Aiden Markram. 

What a crilliant running catch it is...

Morgan scored 57 off 60.

Next batsman is Jos Buttler. 

Morgan completes half-century!

After two successive jolts, captain Morgan looks to lead the team towards a good total, expected 300+. 

He has completed his half-century. 

All-rounder Ben Stokes also completed his half-century. 

After 30 overs, England are 170/3. 

South Africa are is a desperate need of taking wickets but they managed to slow the run rate. 

The current run rate is 5.55. 

After 25 overs, England are 135/3. 

The current run rate is +5.00 and going as per the CRR, the expected score is 283 runs.  

One more wicket!

Joe Root also out. 

Kagiso Rabada to Root, catch out by JP Duminy. 

Root scored a total of 51 runs off 59 balls. 

Next batsman is Ben Stokes.

Jason Roy out!

Andile Phehlukwayo to Roy, catch out by the skipper Faf du Plessis. 

South Africa needed this wicket to reduce the pressure. 

Roy scored 54 off 53. 

Next batsman is the English captain himself, Eoin Morgan. 

After 19 overs, England are 111-2. 

Both Jason Roy and Joe Root complete their half-century

Roy has completed his half-century in 51 balls. His 50 includes seven fours. 

On the other hand, Root also lifted his bat after completing the fifty. 

England crossed the 100-run mark. 

After 10 overs, England are 60/1. 

Joe Root is playing at 31 and Roy is at 28. 

Both the players have diluted the pressure by changing the strikes and South African bowlers are trying hard to get wickets here at this moment. 

After 7 overs, England are 43/1. 

Root and Roy have accelerated the innings with some terrific shots. 

Over 1

It just the first over and Imran Tahir gets the breakthrough for his side. 

Tahir to Jonny Bairstow, edged into the hands of wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock. 

Bairstow departs on a golden duck. 

England scored 1 runs in the over and lost 1 crucial wicket. 

Next batsman is Joe Root. 

The match is about to begin, Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow are at the crease. Roy will face the first ball. 

Spin sensation Imran Tahir will open the bowling attack. 

Conditions:

It is expected to be a cloudy, dry day in London, with little bit of sunshine. 

What the captains are saying:

Faf du Plessis: "A 10.30 am start at The Oval -- if there's anything in the wicket, it'll be in the first hour. We've got some fantastic fast bowlers and we're hoping it'll be a great occasion today."

Eoin Morgan: "We would have looked to do the same, just preferring chasing. The wicket looks really good. The balance we've gone with is for South Africa so hopefully it is the right one." 

"Jofra (Archer) has come in and impressed. He's very calm when he plays. He's a very exciting prospect given this is the very start of his international career. The favourites tag sits with us comfortably. It's been a collective drive for us. I much prefer going in as favourites," Morgan added. 

Toss:

South Africa won the toss and opted to field first against England in the opening match. 

England, the world's top-ranked one-day international side and the tournament favourites, included fast bowler Liam Plunkett in a line-up captained by Eoin Morgan, with Tom Curran missing out on his Surrey home ground.

South Africa omitted allrounder Chris Morris, with Dwayne Pretorius selected.

Playing XI:

South Africa: Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock(w), Aiden Markram, Faf du Plessis(c), Rassie van der Dussen, Jean-Paul Duminy, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Imran Tahir

England: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan(c), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler(w), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid

England are favourites:

England will put four years of planning to the test when they face South Africa at the Oval. 

So embarrassing was England's first-round exit at the 2015 edition in Australia and New Zealand it prompted a major rethink of their attitude to the white-ball game.

The transformation has been remarkable, with Eoin Morgan's men climbing to the top of the one-day international rankings and twice setting a new record for the highest one-day international total, which now stands at 481 for six.

Batting has been the basis of England's ODI rejuvenation, with Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Morgan and the dynamic Jos Buttler among a top seven who can all change the course of an innings in the blink of an eye.

South Africa's injury woes:

South Africa have suffered plenty of World Cup heartache but having been losing semi-finalists four years there is a sense the Proteas are going under the radar this time around.

South Africa, captained by Faf du Plessis, are without retired star batsman AB de Villiers but their top order includes the talented Quinton de Kock. 

They will be without Dale Steyn on Thursday as the outstanding fast bowler nurses a shoulder injury but South Africa have become used to his absence in recent times.

Of arguably greater importance for Thursday's match is that Kagiso Rabada, arguably the leading paceman in world cricket today, has been passed fit following a back injury.

About the World Cup:

The countdown of the Cricket World Cup 2019 has ended and a month-long cricket carnival begins with the first match between England and South Africa. 

The twelfth edition of Cricket World Cup, hosted by England and Wales, is scheduled to take place from May 30 to July 14. 

The format of the World Cup 2019 will be round-robin, which means, all countries will play each other once and the top four will enter the knockout stages. 

England, South Africa, India, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and West Indies are the participating countries. 

This is the fifth World Cup that will be held in England and Wales. The previous ones were in 1975, 1979, 1983 and 1999. 

The host nation have never won the tournament, with the last of their three losing appearances in the final coming in 1992, but there is a growing sense their current crop of players can end 45 years of pain.

Boasting a plethora of big-hitting white-ball specialists, England are the top-ranked team in the 50-over game, while Kohli's India are also packed with superstars who have honed their skills in the Indian Premier League. 

The World Cup begins!

Hello! And welcome to the first match of the Cricket World Cup 2019 which is between England and South Africa. 

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