Going into the 3rd T20I between England and South Africa, this is going to be a very interesting match as both teams will be fighting for a victory in this series. With the English having won last time out, they looked way more in control after their batting unit nearly broke a record.
A group that has broken out of a lot of the issues they were facing before the match, their confidence has been boosted a lot, and, should really help them play well in the upcoming series. With Harry Brook once again leading the side, there was a clear improvement in his motivating abilities, while also helping them win at a time when Ben Duckett plus Jamie Smith weren’t available.
On the opposite end, this will be a key point for South Africa as they don’t want to hit a breaking point, but actually grow from here. With this being a small turn in what was so far a successful summer, it will really be interesting to see how they change things up and end up on top next match.
With no Corbin Bosch and already having Keshav Mahraj plus David Miller out, many younger pieces are going to continue living up to their name, while helping this side win a 3rd straight series. As Aiden Markram leads the side, he will be a tremendous captain who has shown that this side will never get out of control, but will keep on improving by developing his teammates.
South Africa: Loaded Batting Unit Should Really Put Together A Strong Outing
The Proteas have shown a ton of fire during their innings and should continue having batsmen create high run totals again. As Aiden Markram opens as an aggressive piece from the first over itself, he’s coming off a 41-run performance and now has almost crossed an important 1,500 mark during T20I’s. Known for great strike rates that can reach almost 140 to 150, Ryan Rickleton is going to have to learn about playing in a similar way like him. As his average currently is around 20 and hasn’t shown much of an increase, this match will be very vital for him, plus Lhuan-Dre Pretorious, whose looking for that one breakout innings during his short career so far.
After him, the true power of this batting starts with Dewald Brevis, 345 runs, already providing some of the biggest down-the-order knocks when South Africa has been in trouble. Another batsman who can create from the first ball itself, he’s shown ability to keep hitting boundaries in a row and around all parts of their ground.
Donvonan Ferriera, whose showed prowess around franchise leagues worldwide, continues being a key component of South Africa’s middle-order and has made it nearly impossible for bowlers to get this piece with yorkers. As Tristan Stubbs, near 30 average, always seems very strong for this new form of cricket, Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch should really have fire in the back order.
South Africa: Pacers and Spinners Really Can Be A Threat After One of Their Down Games
South Africa’s bowling unit has always proven to be a great all-around attack and will look to get back into form after getting absolutely smashed. Top pacer Kagiso Rabada, 69 wickets, has really understood how to create swing on his deliveries while building pace at one of the more consistent rates.
Having been very economical considering that he comes in the powerplay during this format, it will be very important for him to stay on a strong path. Marco Jansen, 18 batsmen removed in 19 matches, has been extremely impactful due to his potential in creating bouncers and bowling at a very high range with pace compared towards other bowlers.
Adding Kwena Maphaka, 15 wickets during his first 14 career innings, shows that he can produce 4 or 5-wicket hauls when on song, despite sometimes going for a higher economy than many would like. Their fourth option should be Corbin Bosch after being ruled out last match because they will look for fast-bowling after spin clearly wasn’t a benefit for them over the past. Someone who’s already taken 10 batsmen out during his short career, Lizaad Williams will finish out this unit as he’s always been key during tension situations. Spinner Aiden Markram should have a couple of key overs during this match as he can mix up the tempo and cause opponents to get a little away from their tempo.
England: Batters Should Continue Being A Huge Part Of Their Success After Last Match
For England, their batsmen will be a key once again after proving how dangerous they could be last match by scoring a near record. Opener Phil Salt has smashed 1334 runs in this format and should continue being key during power play overs, since he knows how to attack gaps.
Someone who has already hit four centuries during this format of cricket, Phil Salt should very vital opposite of superstar Jos Buttler, who keeps making his name bigger during this style. Having gone up to 28 half-centuries and being in tremendous form throughout this year, their partnership should last for a while and create huge scores during the first six overs. At one-down, Jacob Bethell, 314 runs in 14 innings has been a great left-handed piece who keeps making strides in shot-making abilities.
Someone who has developed some amazing reverse sweep chances, he has continued finding all the empty gaps and will give Harry Brook another great option to bat with at his two-down position. Talking about Brook, specifically, he showed a ton of life during their last match by hitting over 40 runs, and has now seemed to translate a lot of his test game into this shorter format.
Closing in on a 1,000 T20I runs throughout his career, this is a piece that has been through many ups-and-downs, but understands how to remain consistent. In their back-end, Will Jacks plus Sam Curran should be amazing threats due to their ability of going at high strike rates during death overs.
England: Pacers and Spinners Can Take Quick Wickets Despite Getting Smacked
England’s bowling attack is a bit unique because they do a tremendous job of removing batsmen in a timely order, even though they always seem to give up way too many runs. Jofra Archer, 43 wickets during 35 T20I’s, has continued bringing in tremendous pace and does immense damage with the new ball. As he keeps breaking through with key wickets, his economy is a little over 8 runs, and could go down based on how he manages his other deliveries.
Luke Wood, who’s always been a key lefty bowler, is finally getting his chance as a full-time bowler and has almost gotten past 20 wickets in a short career. Adil Rashid, 135+ wickets, will be a major spinning piece who really can get turn on the ball, while Sam Curran should come down and deliver key slower balls later.
Previous Matches
Matches Played: 28
England Won: 13
South Africa Won: 14
Matches Drawn: 1
Predictions
South Africa Bat 1st: They will score 185 to 195 runs with 8 wickets lost
England Bat 1st: They will score 170 to 180 with 6 wickets lost
South Africa Bat 2nd: They will win by 3 to 4 wickets
England Bat 2nd: They will lose by 10 runs
Final Prediction: South Africa will win by 3 to 4 wickets if batting 2nd and 10 runs if batting 1st
Key Players
South Africa
Aiden Markram: A Captain and aggressive batsman who always gets them to a great start
Kagiso Rabada: Fast bowler who creates swing plus pace on consistent deliveries
Dewald Brevis: True power hitter who has been very clutch down the order
Marco Jansen: Tall bowler with bouncer opportunities that remove batsmen easily
England
Jos Buttler: Power-hitter who keeps on playing with clear command and leadership
Phil Salt: Dangerous opener that can hit a huge knock at any time
Jofra Archer: Pacer who has always been dangerous when building on his yorkers
Harry Brook: Leader who is slowly showing his full potential
Also Read: ENG vs SA: Wiaan Mulder Creates A Havoc In England’s Batting Unit