Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey

SA vs AUS 1st T20I Preview Dream11 Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | SA vs AUS 1st T20I Dream11 | SA vs AUS Johannesburg Pitch Report | South Africa vs Australia 1st T20I Dream11 | SA vs AUS 1st T20I Dream11 Prediction

Five days after the end of one of the greatest T20I series, a potentially great one is set to begin.

South Africa’s duel with England was one for the ages. Now, in what is perfect preparation for this year’s World T20, they come up against another powerhouse – Australia.

The Australians smashed all before them in their home season, which included five wins in five completed T20Is – all one-sided against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Add to this the backstory of the return of David Warner and Steve Smith to South Africa for the first time that incident at Cape Town, and you have drama everywhere you look.

Warner and Smith, along with the Australia side, will want to show that they have moved on. The Proteas, who welcome back Kagiso Rabada, will be out to turn their tight series defeat against England into a win.

This one has the makings for a classic – who will hold their nerve best?

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

• David Warner will surely have to deal with crowd noise on his return to South Africa. He had to block it out in the World Cup in England, and will need to do so here.
• Warner has the most runs of any active player in SA-Australia T20Is (329, SR 155.18) and was Player of the Match on this ground in 2016.
• Spotlight will be on Steve Smith, too. His T20I performances vs SL and PAK in late 2019: 53* (36), 13 (9) and 80* (51).
• Faf du Plessis is back in the Proteas squad. After giving up the captaincy, it will be interesting to see how he goes: He has 242 runs in four T20Is at Jo’Burg, including a fifty and century.
• Quinton de Kock is always one to watch. The new permanent South Africa T20I skipper is second behind Warner for SA-Australia runs: 274, SR: 141.96. Also, de Kock has scores of 43 and 44 at Jo’Burg.
• There will be no Temba Bavuma, so the likes of Rassie van der Dussen (31, 43* and 11 vs England) will be key.
• Of course, Aaron Finch will be key in the top order battle. He is yet to score a 50 in eight T20Is vs South Africa.
• What about Heinrich Klaasen storming onto the scene in the England series? With SA needing consistency in the middle, one wonders if he can follow up his 66 (33) last game with another big effort.
• David Miller at Johannesburg: 194 runs, avg. 38.80, SR: 167.24.
• Matthew Wade’s last four scores in the recently-concluded BBL: 66 (29), 56 (34), 130* (61) and 14 (11).
• Also, Mitchell Marsh had a strong BBL tournament: 14 matches, 382 runs, avg. 34.72, SR: 145.24.
• Andile Phehlukwayo has the most wickets in Johannesburg T20Is (8).
• Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins took 15 wickets between them in five T20Is vs Sri Lanka and Pakistan in late 2019.
• Adam Zampa has taken 18 wickets in his last 10 white-ball matches, including fine performances in the India ODIs last month.
• Lungi Ngidi (8) took the most wickets in the SA-England T20I series. Kagiso Rabada, who has six wickets in six T20Is vs Australia, will be keen to make more of an impact.

Check this out: Have what it takes to be a Cricket Manager? Introducing Cricket Tycoon – an innovative cricket manager game where you can take on your friends and other managers

Stats and Facts

• Head-to-Head: South Africa 7, Australia 11. In South Africa, it is locked at 5-5.
• Australia won their last T20I in Johannesburg, back in 2016, where they chased down 204.
• The average first innings score in the past five T20Is at the Wanderers is 181.2, with four scores over 180. The only score that brings this average down significantly is South Africa’s 113 all-out vs Sri Lanka in 2017.

Possible Playing 11

Temba Bavuma is out with a hamstring strain. Reeza Hendricks hasn’t been called up to the squad, so either JJ Smuts or Rassie van der Dussen will open, with Faf du Plessis a chance to slot back into the middle order. Also, Kagiso Rabada is back.

South Africa: 1. Quinton de Kock (c & wk), 2. Rassie van der Dussen, 3. Faf du Plessis, 4. Heinrich Klaasen, 5. David Miller, 6. Jon-Jon Smuts, 7. Andile Phehlukwayo, 8. Kagiso Rabada, 9. Dale Steyn, 10. Lungi Ngidi, 11. Tabraiz Shamsi

Australia suffered a blow before the tour with Glenn Maxwell ruled out through injury. So, plenty rests on the top order to perform, with the likes of Matt Wade and Mitch Marsh needing to take their opportunities.

Australia: 1. David Warner, 2. Aaron Finch (c), 3. Steve Smith, 4. Matthew Wade, 5. Mitchell Marsh, 6. Alex Carey (wk), 7. Ashton Agar, 8. Mitchell Starc, 9. Sean Abbott/Kane Richardson, 10. Pat Cummins, 11. Adam Zampa

Johannesburg Pitch Report and Conditions

It is usually an absolute belter of a batting wicket at the Wanderers; there have been four first innings scores of 180+ in the past five T20Is.

However, late afternoon thunderstorms could impact this game, possibly prompting the captain who wins the toss to bowl first for D/L reasons.

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

Dream11 and Fantasy Cricket content for you to enjoy on CricBlog:

• MyClubtap: Fantasy Cricket for your own club or league
• 6 tips to increase chances of winning in Dream11
• MyTeam11 vs Dream11: Which is better for you?
• Pros and cons of Dream11’s deadline decision

Match Prediction

This one could genuinely go either way. The fact that South Africa played such competitive T20I cricket vs England can hold them in good stead, but Australia have that threatening top three that can swing the game in their favour.

It could all depend on which team can slice through the other’s top order with the least damage. With Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and potentially Sean Abbott (consistent wicket-taker), Australia might sneak home.

Thanks for reading!

Check this out: Have what it takes to be a Cricket Manager? Introducing Cricket Tycoon – an innovative cricket manager game where you can take on your friends and other managers