*SOUTH AFRICA VS AUSTRALIA 1st T20I IN A 3 MATCH T20I SERIES 2023 PREVIEW*
*THE BUILD UP:*
International cricket is on a roll this week. Barring the Asia cup, we have the Aussies coming all the way from down under to cash with the protea. Whenever these two sides clash, entertainment on and off the field is guaranteed. But one thing that needs to be taken into consideration is the lack of alot of senior players specially for the T20I series starting from tomorrow. We have two different captains at the helm of things with Markram leading the hosts and Mitchell marsh with the experience of BBL backing him, being in charge of the men in yellow. Both, very explosive with the bat will be keen upon leading from the front and leaving an impact in their first full captaincy stint as the search for finding new stars (generational talents) continues.
This series will be seen as an audition to all those new comers or the youngsters who are involved specially with the T20 World Cup placed next year in the Caribbean Islands. Those who manage to impress will be given a quick nod an year later and as a result, this series becomes one of immense value even though this is a ODI World Cup year. Let’s see the probable XIs of the two sides.
*SOUTH AFRICA PROBABLE XI:*
Temba Bavuma, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (capt), Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Sisanda Magala, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi
Stubbs keeping skills will be on display tomorrow with the youngster getting the nod for the opener ahead of two other specialist keepers that have made it to the squad. On a track that is expected to be a bouncy one, it will be a challenging task to face the likes of Ngidi and Jansen, that too with a considerable amount of pace, and how Stubbs performs behind the wickets will go on and play a big part in his career. Other than his keeping, eyes will be on his attacking style of play. He has represented alot many sides in different T20 leagues and taking some learning and experience from each of these leagues only makes his shot worth watching. The same goes for Devald Brevis who has already become a household name in Southafrica because of the truck loads of talent that he possesses and the resemblance that he has, in his batting, with the legend T20 batter AB Devilliers.
Bavuma at the top of the order in a T20 set up has always been a debatable call. His game is similar to that of an anchor and it begs us the question of: “do we really need anchors in this format, that too as an opener?”
Regardless it would be a big test for the former T20 skipper of the side. The track where there will be minimal movement but plenty of bounce should suit the short heighted batter as he is an excellent puller of this game and knows how to tackle back of length deliveries with ease.
*AUSTRALIA PROBABLE XI:*
Matthew Short, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (capt), Josh Inglis, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Aaron Hardie, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson
Nothing beats the feeling of watching Johnson finally make the cut and go out there and express himself. He swings it at high pace and has an excellent run up to add to that. By the looks of it, he has this uncanny resemblance to express pacer Starc and would love to embrace his journey as he makes his T20 debut. He has been in some miraculous form with his BBL and The Hundred stint and it goes without saying that his height is going to play a big factor in him having success specially here in Durban where surfaces tend to support deliveries that rise.
One very interesting and lucky feature about Australia’s XI is the number of all rounders that they feature. There are always plenty of bowling options available as well as batting depth. Even tomorrow they will have 6 bowling options and to go along with that, a batting depth till no8 where Sean Abbott bats. The heroics of Abbott lately only goes onto justify his selection as a lower order batter who knows how to tonk it and make the bowlers suffer very well.
I’m interested to see how Head faces Shamsi. The latter knows how to set a trap and the former is one attacking batter who never backs down from a challenge. It would be similar to fire meeting fire and I can’t wait to see how this pans out to be.
*MY PREDICTIONS:*
*FOR SA:*
Highest run getter- Aiden Markram/Temba Bavuma
Highest wicket taker- Tabraiz Shamsi/Marco Jansen
*FOR AUS:*
Highest run getter- Travis Head/Mitchell Marsh
Highest wicket taker- Spencer Johnson/Adam Zampa
*FOR THE GAME:*
Australia to win