Saturday 27 May 2017 10:28, UK
Ben Stokes has been passed fit for the second one-day international against South Africa after recovering from a knee injury sustained in the series opener.
Stokes injured his left knee during the 72-run win over the Proteas at Headingley on Wednesday and managed to bowl just two overs before leaving the field for treatment.
However, he took part in a full training session with the rest of the England squad on Friday and was passed fully fit to play in Saturday's second ODI at the Ageas Bowl following an assessment by the team's medical staff.
England seamer Liam Plunkett had earlier told Sky Sports News HQ about Stokes' importance to the team. "If it was up to him, he just wants to play every game," he said.
"If you didn't have him in any team, you'd be disappointed. He's a massive player who can win games with bat, ball and in the field. But we've also got other players who can come in and win games - as we've shown.
"We've got people to cover all bases. If Jonny [Bairstow] comes in as the batter, I'm sure he'll perform; if not the other bowlers will perform too."
England have begun this series with increased security measures promised around the match venues after Monday's terror attack in Manchester. Plunkett pointed out it is the players' duty to clear their minds and put on a show.
Asked about the unsettling situation, he said: "It's everywhere now, all around the world, so you've just got to crack on with what you do. We want to perform, get people in to watch the game and have a fun day."
South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis said his team is determined to put the pressure back on England after Wednesday's disappointing display.
Du Plessis admits the tourists - No 1 in the world one-day international rankings - were well short of their best and made "silly mistakes" to go 1-0 down with two to play.
"We were disappointed with the way we played at Leeds - that's probably the most mistakes we've made in a game for a while," said Du Plessis.
"But England put you under a lot of pressure, and you have got to make sure you are on top of your game and transfer the pressure back on to them."
Du Plessis and opener Hashim Amla put South Africa in a position to chase England's 339-6. But both then got out, and from 145 for one AB de Villiers' team faltered to 267 all out in 45 overs.
"We've played some really good cricket over the last while, so that last game was a bit of cobwebs," added Du Plessis.
"We made some silly mistakes tactically, so hope we can do better this time."
England (possible team): EJG Morgan (captain), JJ Roy, AD Hales, JE Root, BA Stokes, JC Buttler, MM Ali, AU Rashid, CR Woakes, LE Plunkett, MA Wood
South Africa (possible team): H Amla, Q de Kock, F du Plessis, AB de Villiers (captain), JP Duminy, D Miller, C Morris, W Parnell, A Phehlukwayo, K Rabada, I Tahir
Watch the second ODI between England and South Africa live on Sky Sports 2 from 10.30am on Saturday.
Watch Kell Brook vs Errol Spence Jr, from Bramall Lane, Sheffield, May 27, live on Sky Sports Box Office. Book the event online here or via your Sky remote.
