South Africa vs England 2nd T20I Prediction, Betting Tips and Match Preview

England and South Africa have had a few classics over the years, and yesterday’s game from their ongoing T20 series will no doubt be joining the hallowed ranks of those legendary matches. A topsy-turvy match by all accounts, it had its audience biting their fingernails right down to the final delivery, when the traditional chokers overcame their unfortunately-well-earned moniker to beat the visitors. Before we head to Kingsmead for the second game, (and the first T20I there in almost 4 years) let us break down yesterday’s events.

South Africa vs England 1st T20I Analysis

After being put to bat by an Eoin Morgan confident in having his bowlers exploit the conditions for early strikes, South Africa got off to a blistering start with de Kock hurrying to a 15-ball 31 before holing out to Denly off an Ali delivery. A strong partnership between van der Dussen and Bavuma ensued, piling up the runs all the way up to 111 before the former couldn’t quite time a short ball from Stokes at the far end of the 11th over. Wickets fell at regular intervals from then on, and the Proteas ended at 177/8 - a definite disappointment after such a strong start. The English spinners helped stem the flow of runs, and some solid work on the field helped their cause. 
 
After the break, the Three Lions began with a wobble as Buttler was dismissed by Steyn, but Roy and Bairstow pushed firm, smashing the bowlers all over the ground to get to 91 by the 9th over, when Bairstow was legged before by Phehlukwayo. England were still pretty firmly in the driving seat when Roy departed, needing 46 off 34 with 7 in hand, and even Stokes’ dismissal couldn’t stop an aggressive Morgan. However, Morgan’s aggression was perhaps a bit misplaced, as after he was dismissed, England failed to get just 7 off the final over despite having 5 wickets to spare. In a final over that will be remembered for quite a while, Ngidi put up a terrific bowling display, with the English Lions losing 3 wickets and only managing to score 6 runs. The last ball in particular was a thriller, as England, needing 3, only managed to get one before Rashid was caught short of his crease by Steyn’s composed throw to his waiting captain.

South Africa vs England 2nd T20I Prediction and Betting Tips

Despite de Kock being in the form of his life, the South African batsmen need to work on longer innings, as not a single player reached a half-century despite the team reaching a total of 177. As world-class batsmen, among the bowlers, expect Ngidi to continue his form and Steyn will be looking to keep the speed up despite his age.
 
On the other hand, the English mid-to-lower order will be receiving quite the thrashing from the coaches and the media after their aforementioned collapse, and will have more than a few points to prove. Morgan, Roy, and Buttler will all have to be solid if the English are to take the series result to a third match. With no Archer available, the English quicks will also want to stop leaking runs - only Stokes stayed at a still-acceptable 8 runs per over in the previous match. Expect the spinners and the English top order to play key roles in the game.

Who will win the match?

Match Prediction: England To Win (1.62 @ 1XBET)

Other betting tips: 

• Toss - South Africa
• SA top batsman - Q de Kock/ D Miller
• England top batsman - J Roy/E Morgan
• Player to score a century - J Roy (England)/Q de Kock (SA)
• Player to score a fifty – J Roy/E Morgan/J Buttler (England), Q de Kock/D Miller/ T Bavuma (SA)
• Most match sixes - South Africa
• Most wickets - M Ali/A Rashid (England), L Ngidi/A Phehlukwayo (SA)
• Most catches - Q de Kock (SA)

 
Will the Proteas take down the English as vengeance for the test series defeats? Or will the English Lions come back to square the series? Find out when the two take to the field on Friday!