England vs. South Africa, World T20: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info, Preview

The World Twenty20 continues to roll along apace with old rivals South Africa and England meeting in Mumbai, India, on Friday night. 

Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, India

Date: Friday, March 18

Start time: 7:30 p.m local time (2 p.m GMT)

Live on: Channel 9 and Fox Sports (Australia), Ariana TV Network (Afghanistan), BTV (Bangladesh), ESPN Star and Star Sports (India), Sky Sport NZ (New Zealand), Sky Sports 2 (United Kingdom), Willow TV (USA and Canada), PTV Sports and Ten Sports (Pakistan), SuperSport (South Africa), OSN Sports (Middle East)

Weather: AccuWeather.com has given the all-clear for the weather. It's going to be hot and sticky out there with evening temperatures starting at around 30 degrees Celsius and unlikely to dip below 27.

Overview

It seems like just yesterday that South Africa completed a 2-0 T20 series victory over England, and now the two sides are at it again. The Proteas will open their World T20 campaign against an England side that copped a heavy six-wicket defeat against the West Indies in their opening fixture on Wednesday night.

While England's batsmen had mustered a decent total (182) after batting first, their bowlers were wayward. While much credit should go to Chris Gayle for playing an exceptional innings, England's lack of consistency was unforgivable.

The bowlers conceded 10 wides and two no balls in the 18.1 overs they bowled. Just one bowler, Chris Jordan, managed an economy rate of under 9.50.

The wicket certainly wasn't overly bowler friendly, but England's bowlers looked completely at sea and without plans, especially when Gayle got going, and there is little time to rue the loss.

South Africa, meanwhile, still have to figure out who their best XI is. They have previously suggested that AB de Villiers at the top of the order is something that has been planned for “for some time now,” but with both Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla hitting form at the same time, it’s difficult to justify.

De Villiers batted at number four in South Africa’s second warm-up match, an eight-wicket victory over a Mumbai Cricket Association XI.

De Villiers smashed 52 off 23 in that warm-up game, and it seems increasingly likely that if South Africa want to put their best team out, it will have to include De Villiers, De Kock and Amla.

Such a configuration will mean that one of the middle-order batsmen will need to shift. With JP Duminy hitting 67 off 44 in the first warm-up against India, it could very well be Rilee Rossouw who ends up missing out.

But the batting lineup is just one piece of the puzzle. The bowling lineup is an equally challenging conundrum, with Dale Steyn, Kyle Abbott, Kagiso Rabada, Chris Morris and David Wiese all slogging it out to fill the seam bowler’s role. The only player who can be certain of his name being on the teamsheet is Imran Tahir.

Prior to departure for the World T20, captain Faf du Plessis said the team hoped to have their questions answered with the two warm-ups in India. It seems those fixtures have only created more questions.

Still, at least South Africa are starting on a clean slate, unlike England, who have to play catch-up after their loss to the West Indies. And if the Proteas batsmen had kept one eye on England's bowling on Wednesday night, they will be licking their lips.

Key players

England

Joe Root was impressive against the West Indies, hitting 48 off 36. He has been one of England's most consistent players in the last 12 months, and they will need him to anchor down the middle order and help England build a big total.

South Africa

You will be hearing his name a lot over the next few weeks, so get used to it. Imran Tahir's variations are always key for South Africa in the shortest format of the game.

On tracks that are likely to turn a little bit more, Tahir will be crucial in holding up the middle overs or, if the Proteas are bold enough, to grab some wickets up front.

Squads

England: Eoin Morgan, Sam Billings, Liam Dawson, Alex Hales, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Reece Topley, David Willey, Moeen Ali, Jos Buttler, Chris Jordan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Liam Plunkett

South Africa: Faf du Plessis, Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, Jean-Paul Duminy, David Miller, Aaron Phangiso, Rilee Rossouw, David Wiese, Kyle Abbott, Farhaan Behardien, AB de Villiers, Imran Tahir, Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn

All information obtained firsthand, unless otherwise stated.