Published: Feb 18, 2016, 12:52 PM (IST)
Edited: Feb 19, 2016, 10:12 AM (IST)
South Africa take on England in the first T20 International (T20I) at Newlands, Cape Town on Friday. South Africa, still fresh from their incredible win in the One-Day International (ODI) series will look to carry their momentum and take the lead in the two-match T20I series as well. AB de Villiers struck form just at the right time in the ODI series and was instrumental in South Africa’s series win. Other senior players like Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis and also Quinton de Kock rose to the occasion: something that did not happen on a consistent basis in the Test series, which South Africa lost 1-3. Full Cricket Scorecard: South Africa vs England 2015-16, 1st T20I at Cape Town
England had a tour game against South Africa A on Wednesday, which they won by 44 runs. Alex Hales continued his excellent run of form and struck brilliant 52-ball 78, opening the innings. But it was skipper Eoin Morgan’s superb hitting that helped England go past 200. Morgan made 42 in just 13 deliveries, which included as any as five sixes. Other players too had a good workout ahead of the series opener.
The form of JP Duminy is a real concern for South Africa. The southpaw managed just 91 runs in the four innings in the ODI series despite being in good form in the domestic circuit, and he has not managed to transform that on the international stage. The good news, however, for the Proteas is the return of Dale Steyn to the squad. Steyn played last in the Boxing Day Test against England, but had to pull out in the middle of the match due to a shoulder injury. He was seen bowling a few overs at the nets and it is believed that he looked extremely sharp. READ: South Africa must be wary of England’s growing firepower in T20 cricket
With Kagiso Rabada, Chris Morris, Aaron Phangiso and David Wiese likely to support Steyn in the opening encounter, the side looks extremely balanced. With key South African batsmen in good form, the inexperienced English bowling line-up may find it difficult to contain them.
The availability of Liam Plunkett is still under the clouds. Plunkett was called in as replacement for Steven Finn, but he too injured himself and has not landed in South Africa yet. England will however look to cash in on the good form of Reece Topley, who finished as the leading wicket-taker in the ODI series. Hales, Morgan and Jos Buttler will be the key with the bat. If these three get going, England are guaranteed to post a big score on the board. READ: South Africa vs England 2015-16: Failure of key batsmen in the series hold good heading into ICC World T20 2016
This match and the series will be a good time to test both teams out ahead of the ICC World T20 2016. These two matches are the final matches England play ahead of the mega event. South Africa however, welcome Australia to their shores for a three-match T20I series after this series. South Africa have another series after this to have a chance to pick the best team, but for England, this series will be their final chance to get their combinations right.
Squads:
South Africa: Faf du Plessis (c), Kyle Abbott, Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wk), AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Chris Morris, Aaron Phangiso, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, Dale Steyn, David Wiese
England: Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler (wk), Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, James Vince, David Willey, Chris Woakes.
TIME: 21.30 IST | 18.00 Local | 16.00 GMT
(Pramod Ananth is a reporter at CricketCountry. He has represented Karnataka table tennis under-15, and is a hardcore supporter of Liverpool FC. His Twitter handle is @pramz)
