England have won the toss and have opted to bat

Jos Buttler:

England have won the toss and have opted to bat

Pitch Report: It's pretty warm out here, the good news is that there is no chance of rain today. Talking about the dimensions, 62m to my left and 67m to my right and 79m down the ground. It's the quickest outfield in the tournament so there's value for shots. A lot of cracks, looks very Australian in nature, it's not going to hurt the batters much. After dark, it turns more for the spinners. South Africa have already played here against Afghanistan so that gives them an advantage. It looks like a very good surface for batting, reckon Shaun Pollock and Ramiz Raja.

South Africa will be pleased with the form of their batters. Rickelton struck a century while Bavuma, van der Dussen and Markram scored fifties against Afghanistan. Klaasen is also available for selection after having recovered from a minor elbow injury and that will further bolster their middle-order. Probably, de Zorzi will make way for him. As far as the English camp is concerned, Mark Wood suffered a left knee injury in their last game and might make way for Saqib Mahmood. Two games have been played at Karachi so far and both were comprehensively won by the team batting first after they posted scores above 300. The captain winning the toss will certainly prefer batting first. Stick around for the toss and team lineups...

England have been found wanting in the tournament and already stand eliminated. With Buttler stepping down from England white-ball captaincy, things look gloomy for them. Today will mark Buttler’s last game as England captain. Their lack of discipline in bowling is the major issue that led to their losses – first against Australia and then against Afghanistan. They scored a mammoth 351 against Australia. But, the Aussies aced the run-chase to perfection, recording the highest successful run-chase in Champions Trophy history with consummate ease. Against Afghanistan, the Englishmen were bossing the game initially with their seamers flourishing but come the middle overs and the death overs, their bowlers lost the plot. They came close in the run-chase but the Afghanis held their nerves when it mattered the most.

13:00 Local Time, 08:00 GMT, 13:30 IST: We are shaping towards the business end of Champions Trophy, 2025. Three semi-finalists in India, New Zealand and Australia have already been confirmed. South Africa in all likelihood are also through to the semis barring they suffer a defeat by a freak margin against England today. The weather looks bright and clear for today and that sets us up for an exciting day of cricket. The Proteas were clincial in their first group game against Afghanistan. They scored in excess of 300 and their bowlers stood up in unison to bowl Afghanistan out for 208. Their last game against Australia was washed out due to rain. Today presents an opportunity to South Africa to continue their good run and enter the knockout stage brimming with confidence. A win today will enable the Proteas to finish as table-toppers in Group B.

Preview by Telford Vice

Well, this is awkward. Previewing near the sharp end of tournaments can be tricky. This is one of those times.

If Australia beat Afghanistan in Lahore on Friday, the Aussies and South Africa are in the semifinals and the latter's match against England in Karachi is a dead rubber. If the Afghans beat Australia, the South Africans still go through. Unless they lose badly enough to England to upset the net runrate applecart. If rain beats cricket in Lahore on Friday - at the time of writing it had stopped play with Australia cruising in chase - the second scenario applies.

Verily, uncertainty is the spice of sport.

What we do know for sure is that England are out of the running because they lost to the Aussies on Saturday and to Afghanistan on Wednesday, both in Lahore. And that despite Jos Buttler's team bristling with some of the finest white-ball players in the game.

Of course, this has prompted much handwringing and something-must-be-doneism, and nobody does handwringing and something-must-be-doneism as earnestly as the English. Something has already been done: Buttler announced at his press conference on Friday that Saturday's match would be his last as England's white-ball captain.

But enough about them. South Africa delivered a seamless performance to beat the Afghans in Karachi last Friday, when Ryan Rickelton's 103 and half-centuries by Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markram powered them to 315/6. Then Kagiso Rabada took 3/36, the best Karachi figures yet in the tournament, to help dismiss Afghanistan for 208 in 43.3 overs. It was, to use that cold, crude term, clinical.

As dominant as South Africa were, their cricketminded compatriots weren't about to wonder out loud about their team's chances of winning the trophy - which they haven't done in any ICC event since 1998 - on the strength of success alone. They've been shot in this movie too many times before to do that.

Instead, they waited for the game with Australia in Rawalpindi on Tuesday. That would tell them whether Temba Bavuma's team had what it would take to go where no South Africa side has for almost 27 years.

Australia are always South Africa's gauge for guesstimating their strengths and weaknesses. Beat them and the dream is alive. Lose and it dies. It's simplistic, but it is what it is. Except that Tuesday's match was washed out. So the answer to the question hangs still in the air. And will do until the South Africans meet either the Aussies or India.

The latter have drawn an unwelcome spotlight for being allowed to base themselves in Dubai, for security and political reasons, for as long as they are in the competition. The other seven teams are not as privileged and have been scattering hither and thither. Pat Cummins, Aaqib Javed and Rassie van der Dussen have remarked on the advantages that gives the Indians. Rob Walter wasn't about to join that club when he was asked his view during a press conference on Friday.

Walter's answer started with a query of his own: "Is that a serious question? If we spend our energy worrying about a disadvantage we spend less energy thinking about ourselves and what we need to be doing. The scheduling is the scheduling.

"India have been in Dubai in the same venue, in the same place, and other teams haven't. Whether that turns out to be an advantage or not will remain to be seen.

"We have to concentrate on what we're doing. We have to concentrate on spending all our energy thinking about how we're going to get through our next step, which is England, and then wherever that takes us from there."

It's the correct approach. Concern yourself with yourself. Worry about India when, or if, you must.

When: March 1, 2025; 14:00 Local, 11:00 SAT, 14:30 IST

Where: National Stadium, Karachi

What to expect: Hot and dry. And flat, although not as flat as Lahore.

Team news:

England

Mark Wood is doubtful with a knee injury. If he doesn't make the grade, Saqib Mahmood looks set to replace him. Also, this is Buttler's last game as England's captain.

Probable XI: Phil Salt, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith (wk), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (capt), Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood

South Africa

Heinrich Klaasen has yet to play a match in the tournament because of an elbow injury. He is now available for selection. Tony de Zorzi could make way for him.

Probable XI: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Temba Bavuma (capt), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi

Did you know?

- Only two of the six totals of more than 300 in the tournament have been scored in Karachi.

- The other four, including the top three, have been made in Lahore.

- Three of the tournament's 11 centuries have been scored in Karachi.

What they said:

"I'm going to stand down as England captain. It's the right decision for me and the right decision for the team. I've reached the end of the road for me and my captaincy, which is a shame. I'm sad about that." - Jos Buttler, a thoroughly decent bloke, does the decent thing.

"He's got a skillset that is right up there with the world's best, and it's great to have him in your team because you know how destructive he can be. But that is based on the confidence of the people around him and the way they play. The important piece of the puzzle is freeing him up to play the best version of his game." - Rob Walter on Heinrich Klaasen, the detonator of South Africa's explosive middle-order.

Squads:

England Squad: Philip Salt, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith(w), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler(c), Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Saqib Mahmood, Tom Banton, Gus Atkinson, Rehan Ahmed

South Africa Squad: Ryan Rickelton(w), Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma(c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Heinrich Klaasen, Tristan Stubbs, Tabraiz Shamsi, Corbin Bosch