Australia v South Africa 2nd Test betting tips – Boxing Day 2022

This year’s Boxing Day Test between Australia and South Africa, kicking off next Monday at the MCG, is shaping up to be one of the biggest matches of the 2021-23 World Test Championship.

Australia beat the Proteas by six wickets at the Gabba; however, with 34 wickets falling inside two days, it was not as comfortable for the hosts as the end result may appear to suggest. As a result, Australia took a 1-0 lead in the series and pushed South Africa out of second position in the World Test Championship standings.

These two nations have played at the MCG on 12 occasions since 1910; however, it has been 14 years since the Proteas have played on Boxing Day in Melbourne. On that occasion, South Africa had one of their most dominant Test sides ever and beat Australia by a whopping nine wickets. The side that South Africa have brought this summer is nowhere near that calibre, putting Australia in the box seat to win the Boxing Day Test ($1.33) and thus clinch the series.

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It is not surprising that when looking at the highest runscorers at the MCG, Steve Smith and David Warner are the top two active players on the list. Warner has come under fire in recent weeks for his form with the bat, which has only been amplified by the issues he is facing off the field. Smith, his former captain, has backed the devastating opener to get back to his best form on Boxing Day. While he is long odds to break his three-year century drought in Test cricket, Smith and Warner are paying $2.20 and $2.50, respectively, to score 50+ runs in the first innings.

It is yet to be confirmed if Josh Hazlewood will return to the lineup on Boxing Day, and should he stay on the sidelines, local hero Scott Boland will keep his spot. Boland will be returning to the scene of his incredible six-wicket innings, and career-best figures, against England last summer. The Victorian seamer is paying $9 to take five or more wickets in the first innings, which are incredible odds for a bowler of his calibre.

Key matchup: David Warner vs Kagiso Rabada

The opening battle between Kagiso Rabada and David Warner will be key not only to the success of their respective sides, but also the continuation of Warner’s Test career. Should Rabada dismiss Warner cheaply again — be it a very well directed short ball, or patient line-and-length bowling outside his off stump — Warner will have a world of pressure on his shoulders, and another failure will have one of the greatest opening batters of recent history looking over his shoulder at potential replacements such as Henry Hunt, Matt Renshaw, and Marcus Harris.

Australia v South Africa best bets – Boxing Day Test 2022

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