ZAF vs AUS 1st T20I match prediction 21 Feb 2020

South Africa will lock horns with Australia in the first game of the three-match T20 series at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Friday.
The last time South Africa and Australia played a T20I match was back in November 2018. One should not have even an iota of doubt about the fireworks that we are going to witness in the forthcoming three-match T20I series. Quinton de Kock and co. will look to build on from where they left against England recently and, on the other hand, Australia will look to kick start their tour of South Africa with a win. However, South Africa have struggled in recent times as they are going through the rebuilding phase and Aaron Finch will be looking to cash in on that opportunity. It is not going to be easy though as the Proteas will look to make the most of the home conditions. In the meantime, I have gattered the best tips for you to bet on from the first T20I of the series. All you have got to do is go through the markets carefully and place the bets! So, let’s get started:

South Africa to have the last laugh

Yes, it is the home condition which the Proteas will exploit and are likely to have the slightest of edge over Australia in this forthcoming T20I series. The Proteas might have lost the T20I series against England, but they came very close to winning it if not for the bowlers. Australia will be playing a T20I series after almost four months and their previous series was against Pakistan, that too at home. The last time Australia played a T20I series away from home was back in February 2019 and that was against India in the latter’s home. South Africa and Australia have clashed at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on four occasions and the Proteas have had the last laugh in three of them. The last time these two sides played a T20I game, was at the Carrara Oval in Canberra, it was South Africa, who came out on top. It is somewhat natural to back the hosts and not the visitors and that is exactly what I am going to do. 888 Sport is offering the best odds (2.45) for South Africa to win in the first T20I against Australia and those odds look pretty lucrative to me.

Australia have smashed 34 sixes at the Wanderers Stadium

I cannot back the hosts with regards to this particular market because the Australians have some serious firepower in their arsenal. Considering the wicket and the dimensions of the Wanderers Stadium, the Aussies are going to unleash themselves and flex their muscles in the best possible way. In the last five encounters between these two teams, Australia have managed to clear the ropes 32 times whereas, South Africa have done it 28 times. These two sides have had four head to head encounters at the Wanderers Stadium in the past and the Aussies have clobbered 34 sixes and, on the other hand, South Africa have managed to hit 27 sixes. Australia have hit 66 sixes against the Proteas on South African soil and in reply, the hosts have hit 63 of them. As you can see, in all the scenarios, the Aussies have their noses ahead of the hosts when it comes to hitting the ball out of the park. Sky Bet is offering the best odds (2.10) for Australia to hit more sixes in the first T20I match of the series against the Proteas on Friday at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. Stop reading now and go place your bets!

South Africa to have a better opening stand

Back with the host on this market as they are likely to be the better side when it comes to having a good first-wicket partnership. However, we just cannot swipe aside the fact that Aaron and David Warner are two of the most dangerous opening batsmen that the Aussies possess. But, considering the average of Warner while playing away from home (26.33) and in South Africa (28.50), I had to rethink about my choice of market. In the last five head to head matches, South Africa’s first-wicket partnership’s average was 35.8 while Australia had an average of 32.4 to their tally. In the four matches that these two sides have clashed at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa’s opening partnership average was 23.5 and, on the other hand, Australia’s first-wicket partnership average was incredibly shocking – 6.5. The last time South Africa and Australia played a T20I game, South Africa scored 42 runs for the first wicket stand while Australia could only score 21 runs. Marathon Bet is offering odds of 2.00 for South Africa to have the highest opening partnership in the forthcoming match against Australia and I don’t see any other choice.

Quinton de Kock to reign supreme yet again for the Proteas

Ever since he has donned the captain’s hat for South Africa, the runs have come naturally to Quinton de Kock and when someone like him is on song with the bat, it is indeed a treat to watch. The baby-faced assassin as you may call him, was the highest run scorer for the Proteas in all the three series (Test, ODI and T20I) against England recently and there’s no stopping him as he looks relentless. De Kock scored 131 runs in three matches against England in the T20Is at an average of 43.66 including a fifty and maintained an astonishing strike rate of 214.75. He also scored 187 runs in three ODIs prior to that at an average of 62.33 including one century and a fifty. De Kock’s T20I statistics does not justify his talent and the form he is in currently. The swashbuckling left-hander averages 31.91 in his T20I career and has 1149 runs to his name. The wicket-keeper batsman has scored 274 runs against Australia and that is the most he has scored against any team in T20Is. Unibet is offering odds of 3.00 for the Proteas skipper to be the top team batsman and I don’t have a choice but to back the southpaw.

David Warner will not be able to score more than 31 runs

Here’s a very very interesting market for you because it may look odd, but it is going to bring you cash in return. When I am claiming that someone like David Warner Is going to score below 31 runs, that is really weird, right? Actually, in reality, it is not and there are several reasons which I am going to state right away. Here are a few obnoxious stats that you need to know about David Warner:
*** David Warner’s T20I career average is 30.57
*** Warner averages 29.90 against South Africa in T20 internationals.
*** The left-handed opening batsman’s average drops to 28.50 while playing in South Africa.
*** His average further plummets to 26.33 when he is playing away from home.
*** His last three T20 scores look like this – 2*, 20* and 48.
As you can see, all these facts work perfectly in our favour to win the bet. Royal Panda is offering odds of 1.83 for Warner to score under 31.5 runs against South Africa in the first T20I of the series and I am pretty much convinced with these numbers, are you?

De Kock’s last three T20I scores were above 28 runs

Coming back to the Proteas’ phoenix of the hour, who has made some serious impact with the bat ever since he has stepped in as the captain of South Africa. Yeah, I got back to him because he is the one to make us a lot of cash on Friday and that sounds perfectly fine to me. Let’s take a look at the factors which made me believe that De Kock will score more than 27.5 runs:
*** De Kock’s T20I career average is 31.91
*** His last five T20 international scores are as follows: 52, 79*, 31, 65, and 35.
*** The wicket-keeper batsman averages 34.25 against the Aussies.
*** When De Kock is playing at home, his average further goes up to 35.07.
*** De Kock’s batting average in the year 2020 is 43.66 so far.
I do not even have to tell you right now to bet on De Kock to score more than 27.5 runs in the first game of the three-match series against Australia, because by now, you should have done it already as Royal Panda is offering odds of 1.83 for the South African skipper.