David Miller and Marco Jansen back for Proteas for three game T20I series
England v South Africa | 1st T20I | Wednesday, 10th September | Sophia Gardens, Cardiff | 7:30pm
Wednesday’s encounter is the first game of a three match T20I series between England and South Africa.
The teams come into the series off the back of an ODI series which was won 2-1 by South Africa.
While South Africa won the series they were humiliated in the final game of the series as they suffered the largest ever defeat in the history of ODI cricket.
South Africa have won four of the last five ODIs they have played against England.
England are the third ranked T20I side in the world while South Africa come in fifth.
South Africa’s Aiden Markram will be the top ranked T20I batsman on show in Cardiff – he is ranked 19 by the ICC just one spot ahead of England’s top-ranked player, Ben Duckett. Duckett, however, is not playing in this series – he is being rested. His place has been taken by T20 specialist Sam Curran.
Two of South Africa’s most potent white-ball players, Marco Jansen and David Miller are back in the squad for the T20I series. They are joined by Lizaad Williams and Donovan Ferreira who have been added to the squad that did duty in the ODIs.
Adil Rashid and Jofra Archer at two and 15 on the ICC rankings are the top ranked T20I bowlers involved in the series. There are no South African bowlers in the top twenty at present, although number one ODI player Keshav Maharaj is back in the Proteas squad for the series.
Venue: Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
Sophia Gardens is something is a fortress for England. They have played 10 T20I at the venue and have lost just once.
South Africa have played twice at Sophia Gardens where they have won once and lost once. Critically their one win was a victory over England (the only T20I England have lost at Sophia Gardens) in 2022, a game that saw an undefeated 96 from Rilee Rossouw power the Proteas to a win.
The average first innings score at Sophia Gardens is 150.
The highest ever score at Sophia Gardens was the 207 for three posted by South Africa in 2022.
The highest score successfully chased at the venue was the 194 for seven in 19 overs by England against Australia in 2024.
The lowest score successfully defended was the 182 for five made by England against Australia in 2015.
Batting second is the key to success at Sophia Gardens. Of the ten games played there, the side chasing has won seven.
Weather:
September in Wales is not known for its sunshine, so it should come as no surprise that rain is predicted every day from Monday for more than a week. It’s not going to be non-stop rain, but it is going to be wet and there may well be interruptions. Light rain and drizzle are predicted throughout the day with around 40 percent chance that it will rain in the evening. There will be a light breeze, and the temperature will be a chilly 15 or 16 degrees.
Form (most recent game first):
England: W, W, W, L, L.
South Africa: L, W, L, L, L.
Key player:
England, Jacob Bethell: Bethell has been touted as the next big thing by England fans for quite some time. In many ways he is viewed as their equivalent to Brevis. On Sunday at the Rose Bowl, he scored his maiden ODI ton as he dismantled an under-par Proteas attack. But as much as the Proteas were poor on Sunday, so too has Bethell been looking better-and-better with each passing outing. If he can carry some of his ODI form into the T20I arena he will do some serious damage.
South Africa, Dewald Brevis: Fans have been anticipating the arrival of brevis for a long time, but he finally announced himself on the international stage during the tour to Australia where he dominated the Baggy Green bowling. As much as he is a complete cricketer, Brevis is well suited to the T20I game where he can play his shots and attack at will. It will be interesting to see how the Proteas fit Brevis, Lhuan-Dre Pretorius, Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs and the returning David Miller into the same line-up, but expect them to be fluid and aggressive. Brevis has a T20I average of 39.75 at a strike rate of 191.56 – stand by for fireworks.
Verdict: South Africa
The Proteas have made it a goal in recent times to start series aggressively and on the front foot. And they will want to bounce back from the appalling performance in the last ODI at Southampton. As much as England have home-ground advantage, South Africa is building good white-ball form and momentum and with Jansen and Miller back in the mix and Brevis and Pretorious playing with the confidence of youth, they should edge the encounter – if the rain doesn’t have the final say.
