All-round England seek the knock-out blow
Big Picture
Two-nil up with a trip to Centurion to come. As in the Test series, so now in the ODIs as England head for the Highveld with a rare double on the cards. Not since Australia's all-conquering tour of 2001-02 has a visiting team beaten South Africa in both the Test and 50-over series, but with confidence coursing through the squad and three opportunities to seal the rubber lined up ahead of them this week, England are in the rare but increasingly familiar situation of being recognised as a one-day force.
Nevertheless, if the Centurion Test is anything to go by - and AB de Villiers wasn't slow to hark back to it during the post-match interviews at Port Elizabeth on Saturday - England cannot and will not be expecting easy access to the spoils. The rarefied atmosphere plays to South Africa's strengths, and with Kagiso Rabada and Kyle Abbott raising exponentially the quality of the hosts' seam attack with their twin recalls for the second match, another full-blooded contest should be on the cards.
Form guide
(last five completed matches, most recent first)

 South Africa: LLWLW
England: WWWWW
In the spotlight
He picked up a stinker in the second ODI, and could be seen bashing his pad in frustration after Quinton de Kock's failed review had robbed him of any recourse, but JP Duminy's 47 from 66 balls was nevertheless the first stirrings of a return to form for one of South Africa's most frustratingly inconsistent performers. His shortcomings against offspin remain a running joke - Moeen Ali conceded eight singles from 28 deliveries to Duminy, and a further eight to overthrows - but in a side struggling for all-round options, his dual abilities with the ball mean he is still a vital performer.
Alex Hales endured an ignominious maiden Test series, caught invariably between attack and defence as he struggled to translate his free-flowing strokeplay to the intense glare of a five-day contest. Ironic, then, that his 99 from 124 balls in the second ODI was a defensive masterclass of a run-chase, as he set his stall out for the long haul and blinked only when a freebie on his hip offered him the chance to hurtle through to his second 50-over hundred. The manner of his parting perhaps suggested that his confidence isn't yet fully restored, but he's back on track and England are all the better for it.
Team news
South Africa are grappling with how to fit a fifth specialist bowler into the XI without shortening the batting line-up, and may have no choice but to go in without an unchanged team. That would mean no space for either allrounder - Chris Morris or David Wiese - unless they are willing to risk resting Morne Morkel.
South Africa (probable) 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 AB de Villiers (capt), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Rilee Rossouw, 7 Farhaan Behardien, 8 Kagiso Rabada, 9 Kyle Abbott, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Imran Tahir
No overwhelming reasons for England to change a winning formula. Their batting line-up is set in stone, and of the bowlers only Chris Jordan and arguably David Willey have failed to make persuasive cases for their retention. Stuart Broad claims to be content to carry the drinks after his Test exploits, but it would be peculiar to have recalled such an experienced performer without intending to give him a run in the side, with both the World Twenty20 and the Champions Trophy both looming on the horizon.
England (probable) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Alex Hales, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Jordan / Stuart Broad, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 David Willey, 11 Reece Topley
Score:
www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-engl...ne/match/800473.html
- via cricinfo.com
