Last Updated on 1 month by Charbel Coorey

IRE vs SA 1st T20 Dream11 Prediction & Fan2Play Possible 11 Pitch Report | IRE vs SA 1st T20 Dream11 Prediction Today | Bristol Pitch Report

If recent form is anything to go by, South Africa will win well. But, don’t tell Ireland that, who play another Full Member nation in an exciting season for them.

Nonetheless, they will have their work cut out. The Proteas are coming off an impressive 2-1 series win in England and are looking the goods, so much so that one wonders how regular captain Temba Bavuma finds his way back into this team. Importantly, there are contributions right the way down the batting order, with the form of Reeza Hendricks, Rilee Rossouw, Aiden Markram and Tristan Stubbs creating plenty of cause for excitement.

So, how do Ireland stop them? The home side did show glimpses of good form with the bat in recent assignments against India and New Zealand, but they will need more than glimpses here. Seamers Mark Adair and Josh Little must lead the way, with early wickets crucial to keep South Africa’s powerful lineup in check for as long as possible.

With a World Cup fast approaching, it is the perfect opportunity for the Irish to test themselves against opposition in great form. For the Proteas, it is about building further confidence against a team they swept 3-0 just over a year ago.

IRE vs SA 1st T20 Possible Playing XI

Graham Hume, who is a former South Africa U19 player, could debut today as Craig Young is out with a groin injury.

Ireland: 1. Paul Stirling, 2. Andy Balbirnie (c), 3. Lorcan Tucker, 4. Harry Tector, 5. Gareth Delany, 6. George Dockrell, 7. Curtis Campher, 8. Mark Adair, 9. Barry McCarthy, 10. Graham Hume, 11. Josh Little

Kagiso Rabada is out of this two-match series with an ankle injury. So, Gerald Coetzee could be handed a debut or the Proteas may choose Marco Jansen.

South Africa: 1. Quinton de Kock (wk), 2. Reeza Hendricks, 3. Rilee Rossouw, 4. Aiden Markram 5. Tristan Stubbs, 6. David Miller (c), 7. Andile Phehlukwayo/Dwaine Pretorius, 8. Keshav Maharaj, 9. Anrich Nortje/Marco Jansen, 10. Lungi Ngidi, 11. Tabraiz Shamsi

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

Ireland:

• Watch out for Harry Tector. The impressive 22-year old scored 64 off 33 in a T20 against India earlier this season.
• Also, he has 384 runs in 14 ODIs at 76.80, including a fifty vs SA. The key will be transferring this to T20Is after he averaged just 10 in three games vs New Zealand and 14.66 against South Africa last year.
• Paul Stirling made starts against New Zealand recently without going on to make the big score. The experienced opener will be looking to improve on his 43 runs in three matches vs SA last year.
• Mark Adair enjoyed a fruitful T20I series against the Black Caps. He was Ireland’s leading run-scorer in that series with 89 at an average of 44.50 and strike rate of 156.14. With the ball, he enjoyed some success against the Proteas, with five wickets in three matches last year at a strike rate of 14.4.
• Josh Little took eight wickets in three matches against NZ last month (SR 9.0). Last year, he troubled both Rassie van der Dussen (two dismissals) and David Miller (one dismissal) en route to three wickets in two matches against the Proteas (2/27 and 1/42).

South Africa:

• Reeza Hendricks had a dream series against England with three fifties at a strike rate of 156.52. Also, he struck 69 off 48 balls in his only T20I vs Ireland.
• Rilee Rossouw has the second-best strike rate (182.12) of any player with at least 500 runs in T20s in 2022. He smashed 96 off 55 balls in the recent second T20I vs England.
• Aiden Markram hit his strides immediately against England (51* off 36 balls) after a rest. Markram is also having a super year in T20s, having struck 381 runs at an average of 47.63 and strike rate of 139.05 in IPL 2022.
• David Miller thumped 139 runs in three innings against Ireland last year. He was dismissed just once and struck at 169.51.
• Tabraiz Shamsi blew England away with nine wickets in his last two matches. The left-arm wrist-spinner also tormented Ireland last year, taking seven wickets in just two matches at a strike rate of 6.8, including Stirling, Tector and Adair.
• Lungi Ngidi is also coming off a fruitful series against England (seven wickets). Against Ireland, Ngidi has taken three wickets at an economy of just 4.26, including the wickets of Andy Balbirnie and George Dockrell.

Other Stats and Facts

• Ireland and South Africa have met three times in T20Is. All were played last year; the Proteas won 3-0.
• It was a tough series for Ireland with the bat. Skipper Andy Balbirnie was their leading run-scorer with just 55 at an average of 18.33 and strike rate of 122.22.
• Tristan Stubbs smashed 72 off 28 balls vs England last week on this ground.
• Since the start of their series in West Indies in June 2021, South Africa have won 17 of 23 completed T20Is.

County Ground Bristol Pitch Report and Weather

Short boundaries and a flat pitch makes for pristine batting conditions. England belted 234 in the first T20I of their South Africa series last week, with the Proteas replying with close to 200.

Showers are forecast in the morning at Bristol, but conditions should be fine for the match. This will be South Africa’s second T20I at the venue, whereas it will be Ireland’s first.

IRE vs SA 1st T20 Dream11 Prediction 3 August 2022

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:

Fan2Play Prediction

Base Team:

• Wicket-Keepers: Quinton de Kock
• Batsmen: Aiden Markram, Reeza Hendricks, Harry Tector
• All-Rounders: Curtis Campher
• Bowlers: Josh Little, Mark Adair, Tabraiz Shamsi

IRE vs SA 1st T20 Match Prediction: Who will win?

South Africa will win.