Ben Stokes Leads England Past South Africa in 2019 Cricket World Cup Opener

Cricket World Cup hosts England (311-8) won their first match of the tournament against South Africa (207-10) on Thursday, easily holding off the Proteas to win by 104 runs.

Four batsmen scored half-centuries for England, with Ben Stokes the standout, scoring 89. South Africa fell behind the required run rate early and never came close to chasing down the target of 312.

England and Wales will host the World Cup, set to run until July 14.

Per Nick Hoult of The Telegraph, home-field advantage was negated by weather, with rain leaving the pitch greener than the hosts would have hoped:

The Proteas won the toss and opted to bowl, sending out spinner Imran Tahir. He promptly got the World Cup off to a flying start for South Africa, taking the wicket of Jonny Bairstow in the first over:

The hosts soon started to find their groove, however. Fellow opener Jason Roy cruised to a half-century, one of four English batsmen to do so on Thursday, and he finished with figures of 54 from 53 balls.

Joe Root (51 from 59) and Eoin Morgan (57 from 60) also had excellent knocks, but the standout was Stokes, who blasted 89 from 79 before he was finally caught by Hashim Amla.

Sports writer Patrick Boyland noted the 27-year-old played well when needed:

Stokes' excellent knock was sorely needed, as his playing partners in the final 10 overs didn't produce much. Jos Buttler scored 18 from 16, Moeen Ali just three from nine and Chris Woakes 13 from 14. Stokes' wicket was the final to fall, and Liam Plunkett and Jofra Archer combined for 16 runs not out.

Lungi Ngidi led the Proteas with three wickets, but the 23-year-old also gave up 66 runs in 10 overs.

Per cricket writer Mohandas Menon, the Proteas had their work cut out for them:

Per ESPNCricinfo, they appeared happy with their work with the ball, but their projected total was well below 300:

Amla retired early with a head injury—another blow to the Proteas' bid. Even worse was the loss of star batsman Faf du Plessis, as he was caught after scoring just five from seven. Their win probability took a huge dive as a result:

Archer took both his wicket and that of Aiden Markram (11 from 12), bowling well early. He also got Rassie van der Dussen's wicket in the 32nd over.

Quinton de Kock got the Proteas to 100 with a big four at the start of the 21st over, keeping the side within striking distance of the required run rate. He didn't last much longer, however, as he was caught in the 23rd over, ending the match with figures of 68 from 74.

And once De Kock left the pitch, South Africa's innings fell apart. Jean-Paul Duminy (8 from 11) and Dwaine Pretorius (one from one) quickly followed:

England's highlight with the ball was this incredible catch from Stokes:

Van der Dussen got a half-century for South Africa, scoring 50 from 61, but that wasn't nearly enough to chase down the target. Amla returned from his injury but only mustered 13 from 23.

Archer finished with three wickets in seven overs, giving up 27 runs.

Pakistan and West Indies will meet in Nottingham on Friday. South Africa face Bangladesh on June 2, one day before England play Pakistan.