South Africa vs England: when is first ODI cricket match? Date, UK start time, squads and how to watch on TV

Jos Buttler will lead the England ODI squad in action for the first time in 2023 as they prepare to take on South Africa for a three match series. The upcoming fixtures are the rescheduled matches which should have taken place in 2020 and they will form part of the 2022-23 Cricket World Cup Super League cycle, with 10 points available for each match.

This is set to be the first time in 18 months that Jofra Archer will feature in the England squad. The fast bowler has been plagued with several injuries but he is now ready to make his return to the field, having last played in an England shirt in March 2021 against India.

While fans will rejoice in the return of the Sussex paceman, they may well miss the figures of Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone. Root has been part of the International League T20 in the UAE, where he has scored well over 200 runs for the Dubai Capitals, meanwhile Bairstow and Livingstone are still recovering from injury.

This series will act for both teams as the start of preparations for the ODI World Cup which takes place in India this autumn, where Buttler will hope England can retain their title following the dramatic 2019 final.

Here is all you need to know ahead of the first ODI...

When is the first ODI?

The first of the three ODIs will take place this Friday 27 January 2023. It is due to begin at 11am GMT (1pm local time) and will be played at the Manguang Oval, Bloemfontein. The stadium holds 20,000 people and was first opened in 1989. Previously called Springbok Park, England have played four fixtures at the ground with the first coming in 1996.

England won three out of these four with the third match, in February 2005, ending in a tie. In their most recent ODI at Manguang Oval, which took place in 2016, England won by 39 runs.

How to watch the ODI match?

All three matches will be available to watch on Sky Sports. Both Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket will show the action and the programme will start 30 minutes before play on Main Event.

Subscriptions for Sky Sports start at £46/month and NowTV offer daily passes which give access to Sky Sports channels for £11.98/day.

England vs South Africa ODI head-to-head

England and South Africa have met 66 times in ODI matches with England winning on 29 occasions and South Africa emerging victorious 31 times. England have won nine of their triumphs away from home.

The last time the two sides met was in England in 2022 for a three match ODI series which ended in a 1-1 draw with the third match ending without a result.

Who is in the squad?

England: Jos Buttler (c, wk), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Phil Salt, Olly Stone, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton de Kock, Heinrich Klaasen, Rassie van der Dussen, Keshav Maharaj, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Sisanda Magala, Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi