South Africa and Australia, two of the giants in world cricket, are set to face off against each other in T20Is in South Africa starting from Wednesday. The first T20I will take place in Kingsmead, Durban.
The hosts lost their last T20I series at home against West Indies in March and would like to make a comeback this time against the Kangaroos.
On the other hand, Australians, too will be playing a T20I series after a long gap where they would like to start on a winning note. With a completely different side, the Men in Yellow would be looking to make a huge impact in the African continent.
What have they done so far?
Australia last played the T20I series last year in October against England where they lost at home. Now, with a completely different set of players this time, it would be interesting to see how they would tackle the bouncy pitches of South Africa.
Prominent names like David Warner, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood, have been rested after the Ashes and will be playing the ODI series later. The uncapped trio including Spencer Johnson, Aaron Hardie and Matt Short have earned call-ups for the first time.
On the flip side, South Africans also will be playing with a few new names including Dewald Brewis, Donovan Ferreira, Gerald Coetzee, and Matthew Breetzke. They will be making debuts and would want to prove their worth before next year’s T20 World Cup. The hosts lost their last series against West Indies at home, however, with such a strong side this time, things could be difficult for Australia.
The pitch of Durban has always been a good batting track, but offerers swing to the fast bowlers. With big hitters on both sides, one can expect raining sixes in the first T20I.
Head to Head Record
Both teams have met each other 22 times in ODIs with Australia winning 14 matches to date whereas South Africa has only won on eight occasions. This three-match T20I series is a perfect platform for South Africans to minimize the gap of their losses.
Aiden Markram & Co. will be playing at home and they would not want to leave any opportunity this time to beat Australians who are playing without their prominent players.
Key Players
Dewald Brewis will make his debut for South Africa in the upcoming T20I series
Dewald Brewis: Dewald Brewis, who is commonly known as ‘Baby AB’, is all set to conquer the Australian team with his splendid big hits. He is one of the top players right now on the domestic front who would like to be at his best on the international stage.
Making his debut against Australia is itself a big thing for the young gun and if he shines in the first game, then the opposition would surely be under huge pressure. One of the advantages for him will be that he doesn’t have to face Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins in his debut series. Brewis also played for Mumbai Indians in the 2022 season and showed promise with his power-hitting.
Tim David: With experience in T20I cricket, Tim David would be a big plus for the Australian side in the first match. He showed his remarkable batting in the IPL and would like to repeat the same magic here in South Africa. The right-hander will be up against Lungi Ngid, Tabraiz Shamsi and Sisanda Magala.
David would play a crucial role in this series as he has to take responsibility in the absence of senior players. With no Warner and Smith in the side, all eyes will be on him to perform.
Predicted XIs
South Africa: Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram ©, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, T Stubbs (wk), Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, T Shamsi, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Sisanda Magala
Australia: Matthew Short, Travis Head, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Marsh ©, Josh Inglis (wk), Tim David, Matthew Wade, Sean Abbott, Jason Behrendorff, Adam Zampa, Nathan Ellis
Prediction
Both teams are playing with some new names in their squad, however, Australia might face difficulty on the bouncy pitches. The debutants might suffer on the Kingmead track but due to lack of experience in the pace attack of South Africa, the story could be different.
On the other hand, South Africa has a better set of batsmen who know the conditions well and can handle the Australian attack easily.