South Africa vs England, 1st T20I: Preview, Dream11 and more
South Africa and England gear up for the first T20I of the three-match series on Friday. Both teams have the desired resources to make this an interesting series. England are ranked second in the ICC T20I Rankings, whereas, South Africa are placed at fifth. Both teams will hope to start well and set the tone for the rest of the limited-overs series.
Timing, venue, pitch report and conditions
The match is set to start at 9:30 PM IST on Friday and will be played at the Newlands in Cape Town. As per reports, it's likely to be cloudy during the day time. The temperature is likely to be at around 23 degrees Celsius during the match. The pitch is expected to assist batsmen and spinners will have a say.
Predicted starting XI of both teams
South Africa predicted starting XI: Quinton De Kock (C/WK), Rassie van der Dussen, Faf Du Plessis, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Andile Pheklukawayo, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi, Anrich Nortje. England predicted starting XI: Jos Buttler (WK), Jason Roy, Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan (C), Ben Stokes, Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
IPL returnees could make their presence felt
Several players from both teams featured in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 season recently. SA will look up to Quinton de Kock, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Faf Du Plessis as these four impressed largely. For England, several of their stars performed well. Sam Curran, in particular, deserves praise. If all these players come together and deliver, we could have a cracking game.
Execution of plans will be crucial for both teams
Both teams will need to be solid while executing their plans during different phases in the match. England look more complete and have a better balance on offer. They go into the match as the favorites. Skipper Eoin Morgan will hope to get the maximum out of the star-studded names. SA will have to deliver the goods with the bat to have a chance.
Dream11 team prediction, performance in 2020 and TV listing
Dream11 team prediction: De Kock (c & wk), Buttler, Morgan (vc), Malan, Du Plessis, Stokes, Curran, Archer, Rabada, Nortje, Shamsi. South Africa had played two T20I series earlier this year and went on to lose both of them. England have won two T20I series this year, besides drawing one against Pakistan. The match will be telecast live on the Sony Ten Network.