T20 World Cup 2021: Match 13, Australia vs South Africa Match Prediction – Who will win today’s match?

Preview

Australia and South Africa are set to lock horns in Match No.13 of the T20 World Cup on Saturday, October 23 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The Aussies, led by Aaron Finch, have had a tough time of late. They lost eight out of their last 10 T20Is on their tours of West Indies and Bangladesh.

Moreover, they lost to India by eight wickets in the warm-ups. The Proteas, on the other hand, should be fairly high on confidence. Prior to the World Cup, Temba Bavuma and Co. beat Ireland, West India and Sri Lanka in bilateral series. The Proteas also won their warm-up games against Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Match Details

Match – Australia vs South Africa – Match 13

Venue – Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Time – 03:30 PM IST, 10:00 AM GMT

Where to watch live – Star Sports Network

Pitch Report

The pitch in Abu Dhabi has mostly helped the batting teams going by numbers in the 2021 IPL. However, the spinners also got quite a bit of assistance. Chasing should be the way forward on the surface.

Average score: 142 (52 T20Is in Abu Dhabi)

Record of Chasing teams: Won – 28, Lost – 24, Tied – 0

Probable Playing XIs

Australia

Aaron Finch (C), David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (wk), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa

Bench: Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Swepson, Kane Richardson

South Africa

Temba Bavuma (C), Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Heinrich Klaasen, Dwaine Pretorius/Lungi Ngidi, David Miller, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi

Bench: Dwaine Pretorius/Lungi Ngidi, Bjorn Fortuin, Wiaan Mulder, Reeza Hendricks

Head-to-head

Overall

Matches- 21, Australia – 13, South Africa– 8, N/R-

In T20 World Cups

Matches- 1, Australia – 1, South Africa– 0, N/R- 0

Probable best batter of the match

Quinton de Kock (South Africa)

Quinton de Kock isn’t in the best of form of late. He was dropped from the eleven in the Mumbai Indians after a few poor shows. In the two warm-up games, the southpaw failed to get into double digits. But the left-handed De Kock was in excellent touch when the Proteas locked horns with Ireland and the Caribbean team.

Probable best bowler of the match

Tabraiz Shamsi (South Africa)

Tabraiz Shamsi is currently the ICC’s No.1 ranked bowler in T20Is. In the last 12 months, the tweaker has grown leaps and bounds. He bowled exceptionally in the series against the West Indies and Ireland. Apart from picking up wickets, he also made sure of keeping a check on the run-scoring. The Aussie batters need to play him with caution.

Today’s match prediction: The team, batting second to win the match.

Disclaimer: This prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision.