Australia VS South Africa 1st T20 Venue: Marrara Oval, Darwin
Australia VS South Africa 1st T20 Date: Sunday, August 10
BetXchange Australia VS South Africa 1st T20 Odds:
History
South Africa’s latest cricket tour of Australia begins tomorrow with the Proteas and the Aussies clash in the first of three T20Is at the Marrara Oval in Darwin. This will be the site of the first two 20-over matches, with the third on August 16 in Cairns.
The shortest format of the game is followed by three ODIs, one in Cairns and one in Mackay, coastal Queensland. This is a white-ball-only tour, with no Test matches to be played.
For South Africa, this series represents a chance to quickly bounce back after they lost to New Zealand in the final of their T20 tri-series in Zimbabwe last month.
This is continued preparation for both teams, with the T20 World Cup next February drawing ever closer. It is also a rematch in nations, if not in format, following the Proteas breaking their international trophy curse after they downed the Aussies in the World Test Championship Final two months ago.
Australia comes into this in dominant form in T20s. They obliterated the West Indies 5-0 in a recent series, and this squad is brimming with confidence as they recruit new players and manage the workload of their major stars.
Australia
Two players who will be missing for the Aussies are pace stars Pat Cummins and Michell Starc. Both are being kept out of the shorter version of the game with workload management in mind. Australia has the small matter of taking on England in The Ashes, a gruelling five-Test slog between November and January, before they are able to focus on the World Cup.
This puts the bowling lineup fully in the hands of the outstanding Josh Hazlewood. He and captain Mitchell Marsh will look for a combination of bowlers who will be effective against a full-strength South African lineup.
South Africa
The continued development of Lhuan-dre Pretorius is reason alone to tune into this series. He scored the highest in the final against the Black Caps, crushing 35 off 51 balls and completing his maiden international T20 half-century in the losing effort. The youngest South African to hit a Test century, Pretorious is a player with a massive future.
Captain Aiden Markram is one of the key names to return, along with pace leader Kagiso Rabada.
Best Bets
It will be interesting to see how the wicket plays in Darwin. This is the first international game at the Top End since a 2008 contest against Bangladesh. That means this ground is new for the Proteas players, so their ability to adapt will be crucial.
Hazlewood is the standout bowler in the Aussie lineup, and he still represents value at 22/6 to be their top bowler. Nathan Ellis is a player who is bang out of form, so I would fade him at 6/1 in the same market.
Pretorius is 9/1 to be the top bat, with players like the returning Travis Head at 43/10, Markram at 6/1, and Glenn Maxwell at 29/4 all shorter. He is worth a punt if you think South Africa can beat the hosts in Darwin and get their series off to a flyer.
