Cricket World Cup 2019 fixtures: Match dates and team news as England face South Africa
CRICKET WORLD CUP 2019 gets underway today with England vs South Africa. Express Sport is on hand with the fixture list and match dates for the opening week.
England have already settled on the 11 players that will start the tournament, with Liam Plunkett tipped to take the final spot in the bowling line-up.
Mark Wood may well end up pushing hard for that place as the group stage unfolds but a recent scare over his troublesome left ankle might have persuaded the management to hold him back for a few more days.
Despite that, captain Eoin Morgan was happy to confirm the squad were all fit and available following a spate of fitness worries including his own dislocated finger.
Asked if England were looking to make a statement with the manner of their performance or simply bank their first winning points, Morgan was unequivocal.
"A win under any circumstances," he responded.
Dale Steyn's absence from the World Cup opener against England will leaving South Africa scrambling for "plan B or plan C”, according to captain Faf Du Plessis.
Steyn has been ruled out of the game due to a shoulder injury sustained during the Indian Premier League and leaves a considerable gap in the Proteas' game plan.
Chris Morris and Dwaine Pretorius will line up in the 35-year-old's stead, but Du Plessis did not attempt to paper over the setback.
- GET ALL THE LATEST CRICKET NEWS AND UPDATES HERE
"It is a big loss to our team. A fit Dale Steyn makes our bowling attack a very, very strong one," he said.
"It will take a little bit of chopping and changing to get a balance that we think can take on England. One of our X-factors, potentially, is that we have is a really, really strong attack in terms of pace: Steyn, (Kagiso) Rabada, (Lungi) Ngidi is a real, real threat in English conditions.
"That's Plan A for the World Cup in terms of our balance, what we're looking to achieve. Now it's just a real reshuffle and looking to Plan B and C."
The teams will be confirmed at the toss today, which takes place at 10am.
Cricket World Cup 2019 fixtures and dates
Thursday, May 30
10.30am - England vs South Africa, The Oval
Friday, May 31
10.30am - West Indies vs Pakistan, Trent Bridge
Saturday, June 1
10.30am - New Zealand vs Sri Lanka, Cardiff
1.30pm - Afghanistan vs Australia, Bristol
Sunday, June 2
10.30am - South Africa vs Bangladesh, The Oval