The first T20I of the Australia tour of South Africa 2023 will be played on August 30, 2023, at the Kingsmead Stadium in Durban.
Match start time: 18:00 local time (12:00 GMT)
Pitch report:
The Kingsmead Stadium is a known batting paradise and is expected to be a high-scoring ground. The pitch is expected to be dry and hard, with some assistance for the spinners as the match progresses.
Players news:
- South Africa will be without the services of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje, who are both injured.
- Australia have included Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Marsh in their squad for the T20I series.
Head to head
The last time these two teams met in a T20I, Australia won by 5 wickets (with 2 balls remaining) in October 2021.
TV telecast Aus vs SA:
- India: Star Sports Network will broadcast the series live on Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 2 HD. The live streaming will be available on the Disney+Hotstar app and website.
- South Africa: SuperSport
- Australia: Kayo Sports
- United Kingdom: Sky Sports Cricket
- United States: Willow TV
- Canada: Willow TV
- New Zealand: Sky Sport 3
- Sri Lanka: Dialog TV
- Bangladesh: Gazi TV
- Pakistan: PTV Sports
- Afghanistan: ATN Cricket
Live streaming:
The match will be live-streamed on the Cricket South Africa website and the FanCode app.
The two teams have met in 22 T20Is, with Australia winning 12 and South Africa winning 10.
Prediction:
The match is expected to be close, but Australia is the slight favorite.
South Africa conducted practice sessions ahead of the series with a two-day camp in Kruger National Park with all their white-ball hopefuls. “It was fantastic,” Markram said. “Being a bush lover, I was in my element. There are certain guys for whom it was outside their comfort zone. You also have to appreciate that. But all in all, the guys loved it.
“We camped out in the middle of the Kruger and had rangers and trackers around us. The camp was a tracking camp, so being able to track animals, follow animals, go on bush walks, and do things like that, which is quite a rare thing to do in the middle of Kruger. The boys loved it.”