South Africa vs Australia 1st T20I Prediction, Betting Tips and Match Preview

Fresh off their close series loss at the hands of England, South Africa will no doubt be itching to lift their morale, rank, and image by beating the pretty much forever-strong Australia. Ranked fifth on the rankings, the Proteas will be eager to have a statement victory with the T20 World Cup approaching later this year. On the other hand, the Aussies will be keen to beat South Africa in the latter’s capital city and claim the top spot in the ICC World T20 Rankings by overtaking Pakistan.

Australia Team News & Form

Australia will be relieved to boast a solid overall squad. The batting line-up consists of the likes of captain Steve Smith, David Warner, and Aaron Finch, while the bowling features the incisive Mitchell Starc backed up by Kane Richardson and Ashton Agar. An excellent fielding side, Australia’s athleticism on the ground has turned heads as well as matches before, and it will be an important factor for their opponents to consider. 
 
Interestingly enough, the crowd will be an important factor in this match as this is Australia’s first match in the country since the infamous ball-tampering incident featuring Smith and Warner. Nevertheless, as has become emblematic of the team, Australia will surely be coming into the match firing on all cylinders. This will be Australia’s first T20I of the decade, and after whitewashing Sri Lanka and almost whitewashing (one game turned into a no-result) Pakistan in their last two series, they’re looking as strong and as intimidating as ever.
 

South Africa Team News & Form

Still smarting from letting their series against England slip through their fingers, the Proteas will be out for blood when they meet Australia on Friday. The crowd weren’t the only ones upset when Warner and Smith were caught cheating, and de Kock’s men will want to punish the visitors for the offence on a more personal level.
 
Despite losing the T20 series, plenty of South African players showed some real promise. Captain Fantastic Quinton de Kock, Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, Dwaine Pretorius, Heinrich Klaasen, and freshly returned Faf du Plessis will pose quite the threat to Australia’s bowlers, while Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, and veteran Dale Steyn will be testing the batsmen. If Australia is a fantastic fielding side, South Africa practically invented modern fielding (thank you, Jonty Rhodes), and cannot be taken lightly in that department.
 

Head to Head Stats: South Africa vs Australia

Although South Africa won the last T20I between the two sides, that was their first series win against the Aussies in a decade. They will no doubt be looking to tip the scales and the stats in their favor. Despite what series results say, however, the match-wise stats are much more even, with Australia edging out the Proteas 11 to 8.

South Africa vs Australia Prediction and Betting Tips

For the Baggy Greens, expect Warner, Smith, Finch, and Carey to do well. There is the risk of Smith and Warner’s performances being dampened by the crowd, but being veterans, they no doubt have the ability to silence any belligerent audience with the bat. Starc will be a force to be reckoned with, and Agar will be a bit of a wild card. 
 
Steyn’s performance in the previous series was somewhat flat, and with age not on his side, the same can be expected in this one. Phehlukwayo and Ngidi will be instrumental for the Proteas, and the potential stars of the batting department have already been mentioned.

Who will win the 1st T20 International?

Match Prediction: South Africa To Win (2.60 @ 1XBET)

Other Betting Tips:

• Toss - Australia
• SA top batsman – Q de Kock
• AUS top batsman – D Warner
• Team with the most boundaries - SA
• Players to hit most boundaries - Q de Kock (SA), D Warner (AUS)
• Players to score a fifty – Q de Kock/R van der Dussen (SA), D Warner/A Finch (AUS)
• Players to take most wickets - A Phehlukwayo (SA), M Starc (AUS)

 
Will South Africa beat the mighty Australians at home to announce their return to power in T20Is? Or will Australia edge out their hosts to overtake curious ICC ranking leaders Pakistan? Find out tomorrow!