South Africa VS Australia ODI Venue: Rawalpindi Stadium, Rawalpindi
South Africa VS Australia ODI Date: Tuesday, February 25
BetXchange South Africa VS Australia ODI Odds:
History
We know who will qualify for the semifinals from Group A of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. New Zealand’s five-wicket win over Bangladesh sees the Black Caps join India with two wins out of two in group-stage play.
This sends hosts Pakistan crashing out alongside Bangladesh, while India and New Zealand meet on March 2 in Dubai to decide qualification placement.
Austalia and South Africa meet on Tuesday, knowing that a win for either would all but lock up a semifinal spot. The Proteas tore apart Afghanistan in their first Group B clash, winning by 107 runs in Karachi. Bowling the batting-shy nation out for just 208 also gave South Africa a massive boost in net run rate, which is the tiebreaker used should teams be level on points at the end of pool play.
Australia did things the hard way against England. After watching Jos Buttler’s side rack up a massive 351/8 from their 50 overs, Australia had a record run chase on their hands. They got it done, clobbering the ball to all corners of the ground, reaching 365/5 to win by five wickets with overs in hand.
South Africa
The status of wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen is worth watching ahead of this match. Klaasen, a middle-order bat with significant power, was a surprising omission from the Proteas opening Group B clash against Afghanistan through injury.
It didn’t hurt too much, with Klaasen’s replacement behind the sticks, Ryan Rickelto,n batting for a ton on his way to Player of the Match honors. Even so, the Proteas would love to have a full deck to select from for this vital clash.
Australia
Australia showed the form and spirit you would expect of the reigning ODI World Cup winner in running down England.
This is even more impressive, given that the Aussies are missing seven members of that squad from just over a year ago. Injuries to Pat Cummins, Josh Hazelwood, and Mitch Marsh, plus Mitchell Starc’s withdrawal for personal reasons, have left the player pool seriously depleted.
Best Bets
South Africa needs this win more. Australia should have no issues with Afghanistan in its final Pool B match, while the Proteas will face a much more challenging assignment in a wounded but competent England. This might play on the minds of the South African players here.
Rain may be a factor on Tuesday. Some weather channels are predicting rain percentages of up to 70%, so the teams have to be prepared for a shortened contest. This adds another element to a flat Rawalpindi pitch with plenty of pace. Expect the team winning the toss to field first.
There are no apparent weaknesses in either of these squads, as their batting and bowling units perform well against the best in the tournament. I think Australia steals this in a close one, but if South Africa were to turn the tables on the Aussies it wouldn’t be a surprise.
