Not every day you see Australia go down under at home but it did happen in the opening T20 encounter when South Africa cruised to an easy win over the hosts.
The touring party was in total control, despite Shane Watson’s fighting knock but he couldn’t get any support from the other end – something the Kangaroos need to work on.
“He hit the ball in the middle of the bat, played the way that we know he can play – took the game on,” Aussie skipper Aaron Finch said. “It was just unlucky that we didn’t have somebody through that middle part (of the innings) that could go with him and take it to the opposition.”
Australian selectors looked to have solved Finch’s concerns by drafting Glenn Maxwell into the side for the remaining matches. Maxwell’s prowess in the limited overs format could fall into Australia’s favour and he might turn into a difference maker between the two teams.
Where to Watch Live Streaming and Live Score Updates:
The second T20 international between Australia and South Africa is schedule for a 08:35 GMT (19:35 local, 14:05 IST) start. For Australia vs South Africa 2nd T20 live streaming click HERE, HERE and HERE. The Australia vs South Africa 2nd T20 live score updates are available HERE, HERE and HERE. In India the 2nd ODI will be available live on Star Sports network at Star Sports 2 and Star Sports HD 2.
Maxwell is not heading into the series with any commendable performance and facing scrutiny for his batting style in the Test series against Pakistan. However, it is no hidden secret that Maxwell’s game is more suited for the limited-overs format and the Proteas will be concerned about it.
Meanwhile, the Africans will have not many things to worry about as they looked a disciplined side in the last encounter. Opener Quinton de Kock and Rilee Rossouw, who was on T20 debut, helped Proteas register an easy win, while Kyle Abbott also bowled well.
“We’ve all had hard times, especially at this level and it’s tough to get yourself up when things are tough for you,” Proteas skipper JP Duminy said. “So it was exceptional to see the freedom he (Rossouw) played with. We spoke about somebody getting a 75 for us and he was the man.”
Teams: Australia (possible): Aaron Finch (c), Cameron White, Shane Watson, Ben Dunk (wk), Glenn Maxwell, James Faulkner, Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins, Kane Richardson, Cameron Boyce and Doug Bollinger.
South Africa (possible): Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Rilee Rossouw, JP Duminy (c), David Miller, Farhaan Behardien, Ryan McLaren, Imran Tahir, Wayne Parnell, Kyle Abbott and Marchant de Lange.
