England need Stokes to inspire comeback against South Africa

On Saturday, Ben Stokes will take the field for the first time in the current World Cup, and England will need their "messiah" to inspire them to play with renewed vigor.

In their most recent match versus Afghanistan, the reigning champs were defeated. They had already lost their opening game against New Zealand, therefore it wasn't their first defeat of the competition. South Africa will play England at Mumbai's Wankhede stadium.

Stokes disputes the "messiah" label, but head coach Matthew Mott refers to him as the team's "spiritual leader." Despite the fact that Stokes will only play as a specialist batter and not as an all-rounder, it is a fact that an England team with Stokes in it appears much more balanced and scary.

Four years ago, Stokes' miraculous touch helped England win their first World Cup. However, those were on familiar fields at their house. Stokes will have to delve well into his resources because the situation is entirely different here in India.

The fact that England's opponents on Saturday may enter the field with equally damaged confidence after being humiliated by the Netherlands in their previous match may come as something of a relief to England.

With consecutive victories to start the competition, the Proteas looked good, but against the Dutch, they completely lost their way. Even after losing half of their side, their bowlers were responsible for allowing the Dutch off the hook. When playing a team like England, which is stacked with powerful batters, such errors might be deadly.

Having said that, South African batters have also established a reputation for big hits in this World Cup thus far, with the exception of the game against the Netherlands. They fought their way to a total of 400 or more against Sri Lanka, and players like Quinton de Kock and Aiden Markram can really harm any bowling lineup.

Expect a lot of changes to the England starting lineup if Stokes decides to rejoin the team. Sam Curran and Chris Woakes have been mainly subpar thus far, so England might experiment with various lineups on Saturday.

Temba Bavuma won't likely make many changes to his team, though.

The inaugural World Cup game in Mumbai will take place on Saturday. The Wankhede is the perfect configuration for high totals because of its shorter limits. Despite being on the flatter side, the pitch occasionally aids bowlers. Therefore, it will be crucial for both teams to make informed player choices.

In World Cup matchups, England has a 4-3 advantage over the Proteas, but it won't matter much on Saturday.

Mumbai: Both teams have moved on from their losses to Afghanistan and the Netherlands, but England skipper Jos Buttler claims that they are "hungry" to play South Africa.

The game on Saturday is vital for both teams to restart their campaigns because the loser may have an uphill battle to advance to the final four.

The energy and desire surrounding practice has been quite high, we've made progress, and we've had some nice chats, Buttler told reporters on Friday. "They've been playing some really good cricket; their top six is really strong, and they have pace with the ball," said South Africa. It should be an interesting matchup because both sides enjoy playing against pace on the ball.

They should be able to make plays on the Wankhede pitch, which Buttler described as "a fantastic cricket wicket," and exert pressure on the opponents.

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