England had to suffer an embarring defeat to Afghanistan on Sunday. Considering the Englishmen were defending champions, they were expected to win easily against the Afghans. However, that was not to be. The mountain will become steeper in the coming days for England. On that note, here, we take a look at two changes England might make for their next game against South Africa.
1) Moeen Ali for Liam Livingstone
It was actually a bold decision that England took to drop Moeen Ali for an extra pacer. While that worked in the previous game, it did not do so well against Afghanistan. Also, the dropped player was Moeen Ali, who is the vice-captain of the squad. Hence, in all likelihood, the all-rounder will make a comeback in the next game.
Liam Livingstone has not been able to contribute to the team in recent games. While he is not doing much with the ball, with the willow, he has not fired yet. Also, he struggles against spin, which could be a problem in the coming weeks. Moeen is a better bet in this context and hence, the veteran could replace him.
2) Gus Atkinson for Chris Woakes
Gus Atkinson for Chris Woakes is one of the changes England might make for their next game against South Africa. Chris Woakes has surprisingly not been very impactful in recent games. Considering England already has Sam Curran and Reece Topley as the new-ball quicks, it would be a better idea to go for a different type of pacer.
In Mumbai, it might be needed for some pace to rattle the batters. Gus Atkinson is someone who can be trusted in this regard. He is pretty new and this can also be a factor in the match. Therefore, this change is on this list for England against South Africa.
