Australia and South Africa. (Photo Source: Twitter)
Australia and South Africa are poised to engage in an exhilarating three-match T20I series on August 30th at Kingsmead in Durban. The subsequent two T20I matches are also scheduled to unfold at the same venue on September 1st and September 3rd.
Australia enter the contest on the heels of a drawn Ashes series, concluding with a score of 2-2, thereby retaining the urn. Additionally, they emerged victorious in their recent ODI series against India, triumphing with a 2-1 scoreline. Conversely, South Africa approach this rivalry following a loss in their most recent T20I series against West Indies, wherein a margin of 2-1 bested them.
Within the Australia squad, the team has extended maiden T20I call-ups to left-arm quick Spencer Johnson, power-hitter Matthew Short, and all-rounder Aaron Hardie, who will be making their first appearances on the national T20I stage. Among notable Australian players, Mitchell Marsh has demonstrated commendable batting prowess against South Africa, amassing 122 runs across eight matches with a striking 128.15 strike rate. In the bowling department, Adam Zampa has proven effective, securing seven wickets over six matches while maintaining an economy rate of 5.86.
Turning to the South Africa squad, the team has similarly bestowed maiden T20I call-ups upon power hitter Dewald Brevis, pitch-hitter Donovan Ferreira, right-arm seamer Gerald Coetzee, and wicket-keeper Matthew Breetzke, all of whom are set to debut in the upcoming three-match home series against Australia. Reeza Hendricks has demonstrated a notable batting performance against Australia, accumulating 100 runs over five matches with an impressive strike rate of 164. Lungi Ngidi has been instrumental in the bowling sphere, securing 7 wickets in 4 matches while maintaining an economy rate of 9.76.
Here are some important stats and numbers ahead of the 1st T20I between Australia and South Africa:
Head-to-Head Records: Across 22 games played between these two teams, Australia has exhibited dominance in the contest with 14 victories, compared to South Africa’s eight wins. In matches held within South Africa, both teams have clashed on 13 occasions, wherein Australia secured triumph in seven games while South Africa emerged victorious in six matches.
4 – Travis Head (96) requires four more sixes to achieve 100 sixes in T20 matches.
5 – Mitchell Marsh (45) needs five additional sixes to reach 50 sixes in T20Is.
83 – Marcus Stoinis (4917) is just 83 runs shy of completing 5000 runs in T20 cricket.
7– Ashton Turner (193) requires seven more fours to accomplish 200 fours in T20 matches.
3 – Matthew Wade (47) needs three more catches to achieve 50 catches in T20Is.
34 – Aiden Markram (966) needs 34 more runs to achieve 1000 runs in T20Is.
10 – Aiden Markram (40) requires ten more sixes to reach 50 sixes in T20Is.
2 – Temba Bavuma (48) is only two catches away from reaching 50 catches in T20 matches.
4 – Rassie van der Dussen (296) requires four more fours to complete 300 fours in international matches.
5 – Rassie van der Dussen (45) needs five more sixes to achieve 50 sixes in T20Is.
1 – Lungi Ngidi (99) is set to make his 100th appearance in international matches.