Last Updated on 3 months by Charbel Coorey

Australia vs South Africa is a fascinating game on the cards for cricket fans in the 7th match of ICC Champions Trophy (CT) 2025. Both teams are coming to this game after winning their first respective matches in the tournament.

Australia are coming on the back of a dominating win against England where they chased down a mammoth 351 runs. Josh Inglis and Alex Carey were exceptional with the bat for the Aussies and Glenn Maxwell saw his side over the line.

Bowling will be a headache for Australia going into this game as none of the pacers looked threatening in the first game. They will be tested against a top-quality batting unit in this game and the Aussie bowlers must be on their toes for this encounter.

Meanwhile, the Proteas are coming off a comprehensive win against Afghanistan by 107 runs. Their batters did a great job and the bowlers were excellent as well. Heinrich Klaasen who missed the first game is expected to be included in the side which will further bolster their batting.

The Proteas will be pretty confident coming into this game after a good team effort in the match against Afghanistan.

CT 2025 7th Match: AUS vs SA Probable Playing XIs

Australia could bring in Sean Abbott for Spencer Johnson. Johnson was not used in the death overs against England, with Smith even turning to Labuschagne instead.

Australia: 1. Travis Head, 2. Matthew Short, 3. Steve Smith (c), 4. Marnus Labuschagne, 5. Josh Inglis (wk), 6. Alex Carey, 7. Glenn Maxwell, 8. Sean Abott, 9. Ben Dwarshuis, 10. Nathan Ellis, 11. Adam Zampa

Heinrich Klaasen is expected to play this game.

South Africa: 1. Ryan Rickelton (wk), 2. Temba Bavuma (c), 3. Rassie van der Dussen, 4. Aiden Markram, 5. Heinrich Klaasen, 6. David Miller, 7. Wiaan Mulder, 8. Marco Jansen, 9. Kagiso Rabada, 10. Keshav Maharaj, 11. Lungi Ngidi

Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium Pitch Report and Weather

This will be the second game of the tournament at this venue, a day after Bangladesh vs New Zealand. The pitch here is generally a good one for batting. The ball should come onto the bat nicely allowing the batters to play their shots. The pacers may get some movement in the second innings with the new ball.

Spinners are expected to get little help off the deck but not much or anything threatening for the batters. Overall, the batters will dominate the match. Teams may prefer chasing.

The forecast shows 30-40% rain throughout the game time. It’s expected to be cloudy and we might see a little rain interruption as well.

Fantasy Cricket Tips for AUS vs SA: Players to Watch/Key Stats

Note: Try to pick more batters and all-rounders if you are playing on Dream11. The new point system rewards the batters heavily.

Top Wicket-Keeper Picks:

• Ryan Rickelton scored a brilliant century in the first game against Afghanistan. He’s been in sublime form lately and will be a must in your fantasy teams. This will be his first game against Australia.
• Heinrich Klaasen averages 57.80 against Australia in 13 ODIs for his 578 runs at a strike rate of 120.20. He has two fifties and two hundreds to his name. Klaasen has been the best batter for the Proteas in ODIs since 2024.
• Josh Inglis scored 120* runs in 86 deliveries to help Australia chase down 351 runs. He is a key batter for his side in the middle order and will be a must in your fantasy teams, especially if Australia bats first.

Key batter picks:

• Travis Head was dismissed cheaply in the first game but he looked in good touch. He has 368 runs against South Africa in 13 ODIs at an average of 30.70 with three fifties. Head can score big on his day. Try him as C/VC in the big leagues in fantasy cricket.
• Temba Bavuma scored 58 in the first game. He’s been in good form in the last 12 months and will be a top pick in fantasy cricket. Bavuma is expected to open in this match and can score big if he gets going.
• Steve Smith will be a key batter for his team at number 3. His last fifty against the Proteas was back in 2020. Smith will be itching to do well in this game, especially after missing out in the first game. Against South Africa: 733 runs in 21 innings at an average of 38.60. Four fifties and two centuries.
• Marnus Labuschagne averages 55.10 against South Africa with two hundreds and a fifty to his name in 10 games. He has scored 496 runs against the Proteas. Marnus was used with the ball in the last game which makes him a top fantasy pick.

Top all-rounder picks:

• Aiden Markam scored a quickfire 52* to help South Africa post a good total in the first game. He has a good record against the Aussies: 412 runs in 11 innings @41.20 with two fifties and a century. Markam may bowl a few overs as well. 
• Glenn Maxwell is expected to bowl a few overs and do the late-hitting duties for his team. He picked up a wicket and scored 32* off 15 in the first game. Maxwell will be a must in your fantasy teams.

Key bowler picks:

• Kagiso Rabda picked up three wickets in the first game. He will be the lead pacer for his side. He has 30 wickets in 15 games against Australia in ODIs. He will be a must in your fantasy teams.
• Adam Zampa will be very important for the Aussies with the ball. The leggie has 19 wickets against South Africa in 18 matches. He picks up wickets in clusters on his day.

Other Players to Consider for your Fantasy Cricket Team

• Marco Jansen has 10 wickets and 160 runs against Australia in seven games. He could fetch points from both bat and ball. He will be a good fantasy pick but his value is with the ball as it’s unlikely that he’ll get enough game time with the bat to make an impact.
• Matthew Short was excellent in the first game with his 63 runs but he will be against the likes of Rabada and Jansen in this game. He will be in for a big score if he gets past them.

Other Matchups and Facts

• Head to Head (ODIs): Australia (51), South Africa (55) 
• Kagiso Rabada has dismissed Travis Head thrice in 55 deliveries for 62 runs in ODIs.
• Lungi Ngidi needs one wicket to complete 100 ODI wickets.
• Heinrich Klaasen has smashed 121 off 89 balls against Adam Zampa (three dismissals).

CT 2025 7th Match: AUS vs SA Dream11 Prediction

Note: The below teams are not based on the final playing XIs. We may not be able to update these in time. Use the stats and commentary in this article, as well as your own instincts, to create your teams.

Option 1:

Option 2:

CT 2025 7th Match: AUS vs SA Match Prediction: Who will win?

Both teams are neck-to-neck in terms of batting depth and quality but bowling will be a concern for the Aussies. They conceded 351 runs in the first game and it’s an area where they lack behind the Proteas. But despite that, I am backing Australia to come out victorious in this clash.