England vs South Africa, Match 1 - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

Pratham Kumar: Love the fact that Roy and Root are still playing positive cricket. Why change something that has got you this far!

Rattan Kumar: A magnificent start by Proteas, removing inform Bairstow in first over is a ideal start to world cup 2019, and mighty England looking under pressure...

Kagiso Rabada comes on to bowl in the sixth over

Tahir magic starting to fade

• First over: 1 run

• Second over: 4 runs

• Third over: 13 runs

That's where MS Dhoni is very good. Probably wouldn't have given Tahir such an extended run, had he been his captain today. Left-field calls have a shelf-life. And Tahir's overs are coming at the cost of Rabada, who's known to do some damage to England. They were 20 for 6 just last year!

Sagar Mehta: It's full of excitement as it is the biggest cricketing tournament, but it's heartbreaking on the other side as some legends are playing their final world cup...

Gojay Helekar: Good English conditions. Experts saying it will swing and seam early and ..... a wrist spinner getting it to grip and turn in the very first over to get a wicket. Wow!!

A wicket in the first over, really!

And how have South Africa picked it, you ask? Through leg spin. Imran Tahir. Jonny Bairstow with a nervous 'oh I am playing a World Cup' poke, as my colleague Prakash G put it... and Bairstow edges behind. "Tahir is rolling away on this massive square at the Oval," Sagar Chawla writes on our commentary page.

What a wonderful decision to start with leg spin. Imran Tahir also became the first spinner to deliver the first ball of a World Cup. I had yelled when I saw Tahir on the top of his mark, mostly in delight, and here he picks a wicket. What a start to this World Cup, what a start.

TOSS: South Africa opt to bowl

Who's surprised. But more interestingly, England are batting. "Early start at the Oval, if there's anything in the wicket, it's now," is how Faf sees it. Could be a fun start to the tournament, and I mean it either way. Lungi Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada bowling to England's openers on a fresh pitch... we'll see what happens. England's challenge has been the lack of a contingency plans when they have lost wickets at the top.

Shamsi, Miller, Morris, Steyn miss out for South Africa. "Steyn is at 80%," du Plessis said at the toss. Morgan, on the other hand, has picked Jofra Archer over Mark Wood. "Archer's a guy who's come in and impressed. He's very calm when he plays. He's a very exciting prospect," he said at the toss.

South Africa (Playing XI): Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock(w), Aiden Markram, Faf du Plessis(c), Rassie van der Dussen, Jean-Paul Duminy, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Imran Tahir

England (Playing XI): Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan(c), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler(w), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid

Hello, World Cup

If you've aged in World Cup years in front of the television, scarred by the losses and buoyed by wins while your bum digs up a crater on the couch , welcome to my hell. It's going to be quite a ride. It's that time again.

First and foremost, you must check out this match preview by Rob Johnston, where he talks about how this is the first of many acid-tests England have to go through. And it's ironical, because England are favourites, but that's the thing: every time they take the field, they will be out to prove that they aren't a fluke. There's also this head-to-head timeline we have compiled for you. If the match between these two teams at Chepauk in 2011 is one of your favourites, look no further.

... here's what's brewing in England

If you missed out the opening ceremony in England, and somehow didn't come across how our cricket captains made Queen Elizabeth II laugh, check out the Pulse - our round the clock blog for everything that's World Cup, cricket and also not.

But jokes aside, it's a difficult time in the UK with Theresa May's exit. Kaushik Rangarajan has felt the chaos in Cardiff, and writes about how this World Cup is bridging difference of opinions in the land. Vithushan Ehantharajah, too, has some wonderful features lined for you. He writes about the England camaraderie and about cricket's return to its spiritual home. Our very own Bharath Ramaraj traces back the origins of the World Cup.