An emotional rollercoaster awaits South Africa and England in World Cup(s)

Sports fans, those in England and New Zealand in particular, went through a range of emotions, including agony and ecstasy, on 14 July in 2019. They saw England beat New Zealand to win the Cricket World Cup by the "barest of all margins" and New Zealand pip England to win the Women's Super Bowl final following an enthralling encounter. 

Just a few miles away from Lord's, where England and New Zealand were fighting for the World Cup title, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer played one of the greatest finals in Wimbledon history. Eventually Djokovic won the title after an intense battle that lasted almost five hours.

On Saturday, sports fans in England and South Africa might be on an emotional rollercoaster - maybe not quite the same as the one mentioned before - as they will take each other in two separate World Cups. 

The Springboks, as the South African rugby team is nicknamed, will lock horns with England in the semi-final of the ongoing Rugby World Cup, roughly a couple of hours after the Cricket World Cup clash between the two sides in Mumbai ends. 

The Cricket World Cup game won't be a knockout like the rugby one, but it's certainly a crunch game for the sides in order to revive their wobbling campaign.

Both teams are smarting from shock losses to lower-ranked sides - England to Afghanistan and South Africa to the Netherlands - and it will be quite interesting to see how they react after falling victim to two of the greatest upsets in World Cup history. 

But the teams will be relieved to think that the conditions will suit their big-hitters as the World Cup is back in Mumbai for the first time since MS Dhoni "finished off in style" in the 2011 final. 

The ground is close to the Arabian Sea which means there should be something for the seamers early on. There is generally good bounce which the batters will enjoy and the distinctive red-soil pitch might bring the spinners to play later on.

The small boundaries will encourage South Africa and England whose primary strength has been batting. South Africa smashed 438 for four at the Wankhede in 2015 against India, where Quinton de Kock hit a majestic hundred.

The wicketkeeper-batter will once again be South Africa's key player, having made two centuries in the tournament. He has played a lot here as well, plying his trade for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) from 2019 to 2021.

The last time England met South Africa in the World Cup, Ben Stokes produced a superb all-round performance to grab the Player of the Match award. Who doesn't remember that stunning catch at the boundary? "No, no way. You cannot do that, Ben Stokes," exclaimed Nasser Hussain on air.

With Stokes likely to make a comeback after missing the first three matches due to a hip niggle, England will hope he will repeat the 2019 heroics. They were not at their best in the early part of the tournament four years ago, having lost three out of the first seven matches. They now have lost two out of their first three but will bank on their batting strength again to make up for the bowling weakness.

A fit Stokes in the England XI is a no-brainer and Harry Brook, who played in Stokes' position, has made him undroppable after a lone hand against Afghanistan. It remains to be seen how they accommodate both of them in the team. The fact that Stokes won't bowl in the tournament makes it even more difficult. 

South Africa brought in Gerald Coetzee in Dharamsala against the Netherlands but the right-arm pacer again went for runs. So they will be tempted to recall left-arm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi, in hope that the pitch aids the spinners when the ball gets old.