Australia v South Africa betting tips | Third T20 preview

Australia vs South Africa best bets

Australia vs South Africa match preview

Tied at 1-1, Australia and South Africa head to Cairns this Saturday night for the deciding T20 of the series.

Last Tuesday in Darwin it was all about Dewald Brevis, who hit South Africa’s fastest-ever T20 century on his way to 125 off 56 balls. With the visitors setting an imposing total of 218, Australia struggled in the chase and were bowled out for 165.

The will be the first-ever T20 played at Cazaly’s Stadium, so there is not much information about the pitch. However, there were four ODIs played at the venue in 2022 with just one score over 250, so expect this to be a bowler-friendly deck.

Despite the loss, Australia remain clear favourites at $1.40 with top cricket bookies, while the visitors offer great value at $3.

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Australia team news

Australia have been dealt a triple blow, as Mitch Owen (concussion), Matt Short (side) and Lance Morris (back) have been ruled out through injury.

However, in more positive news, Josh Inglis is expected to recover from illness. Expect him to return at three, with Alex Carey and Aaron Hardie both in the mix to fill out the lower middle order.

Pace bowler Nathan Ellis was rested for the last game and is tipped to return in place of either Sean Abbott or Ben Dwarshuis.

Australia’s predicted XI:

1. Travis Head
2. Mitch Marsh (c)
3. Josh Inglis (wk)
4. Cameron Green
5. Tim David
6. Glenn Maxwell
7. Aaron Hardie
8. Ben Dwarshuis
9. Nathan Ellis
10. Josh Hazlewood
11. Adam Zampa

South Africa team news

After such a positive result, don’t expect many changes to the South African side. Leg-spinner Nqabayomzi Peter was expensive last time out, but with a lack of replacements, a change seems unlikely.

South Africa’s expected XI:

1. Ryan Rickleton
2. Aiden Markram
3. Lhuan-dre Pretorius
4. Dewald Brevis
5. Tristan Stubbs
6. Rassie van der Dussen
7. Corbin Bosch
8. Kagiso Rabada
9. Nqabayomzi Peter
10. Lungi Ngidi
11. Kwena Maphaka

Australia vs South Africa predictions

Despite their dominant victory on Tuesday, South Africa remain underdogs in this clash. The Australian batting lineup is stacked with talent, and you wouldn’t expect world-class bowlers such as Josh Hazlewood and Adam Zampa to be so expensive again. The Proteas have the talent to get there, but in Australian conditions, back the home side to be too strong.

Tim David was the pick of the Aussie batters last time, hitting 50 off just 24 balls. The 29-year-old has now scored 300 runs in his last eight matches, going at an average of 60. Despite coming in at five, he offers excellent value to top the scoring for the Aussies at $5.50 with leading online bookmakers.

Ryan Rickleton has been the top-order anchor for the South Africans, spending time at the crease while others hit around him. While he didn’t fire in the last match, he scored 71 in the series opener and cleared 25 in four of his last five IPL games. If the batting conditions are going to be tough, expect Rickleton to knuckle down and score 30 or more runs at $2.10 with Bet365.

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