Australia and South Africa are ready to clash in the first one-day international of the three-match series in Perth on Sunday.
The contest is of pivotal importance as it marks the beginning of the preparation for the upcoming International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup, which is less than eight months away.
The home side are on a run of poor results after the ball-tempering scandal earlier this year. In their last assignment in the 50-over format, the Kangaroos suffered a humiliating 5-0 whitewash against England in England.
In the batting department, the team will be relying on captain Aaron Finch, Glenn Maxwell and Chris Lynn to do bulk of the scoring.
In the bowling department, there is some good news for the Baggy Greens as they will go in with the pace attack comprising of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins.
On the other hand, South Africa will be hoping to continue their good form in the 50-over format and register a series win Down Under.
In their last 50-over assignment, Faf du Plessis-led unit registered a comfortable 3-0 whitewash over Zimbabwe.
In the batting department, the team will be relying on skipper Du Plessis, veteran opener Hashim Amla and wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock to score bulk of the runs, whereas in the bowling department, the onus will be on Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada and Imran Tahir to restrict the opposition.
Both teams have faced each other in 96 matches in the 50-over format, where Australia emerged victorious 47
Australia and South Africa are ready to clash in the first one-day international of the three-match series in Perth on Sunday.
The contest is of pivotal importance as it marks the beginning of the preparation for the upcoming International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup, which is less than eight months away.
The home side are on a run of poor results after the ball-tempering scandal earlier this year. In their last assignment in the 50-over format, the Kangaroos suffered a humiliating 5-0 whitewash against England in England.
In the batting department, the team will be relying on captain Aaron Finch, Glenn Maxwell and Chris Lynn to do bulk of the scoring.
In the bowling department, there is some good news for the Baggy Greens as they will go in with the pace attack comprising of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins.
On the other hand, South Africa will be hoping to continue their good form in the 50-over format and register a series win Down Under.
In their last 50-over assignment, Faf du Plessis-led unit registered a comfortable 3-0 whitewash over Zimbabwe.
In the batting department, the team will be relying on skipper Du Plessis, veteran opener Hashim Amla and wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock to score bulk of the runs, whereas in the bowling department, the onus will be on Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada and Imran Tahir to restrict the opposition.
Both teams have faced each other in 96 matches in the 50-over format, where Australia emerged victorious 47 times, whereas South Africa came out on top in 45 matches.
Highest individual score in these contests of 178 was registered by Quinton de Kock in 2016-17 season, whereas the best bowling figures of 6-22 was registered by former Proteas pacer Makhaya Ntini in Cape Town in 2006.
The match is going to be played at the new venue in Perth, where to date only one ODI has been played.
Key players
Quinton de Kock – 10 CrFirst in the list of key players features South Africa wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock. The 25-year-old has more than impressive record in the 50-over format where he has 4,073 runs at an average of 45.25. Valued at 10 Cr, De Kock might prove to be an ideal player to have in your team as he can score big runs when on song. In nine matches while playing in Australia, De Kock has 275 runs to his name at an average of 34.37.
Imran Tahir – 9 Cr
Second in the list of key players features South Africa veteran leg-spinner Imran Tahir. The 39-year-old was by far the Proteas' best bowler on show in their last 50-over assignment against Zimbabwe where he claimed 10 wickets in just three matches. Valued at 9 Cr, a match-winner like Tahir in your team can prove to be a real bonus as he can turn the game on its head in the space of one or two overs. In Australia, Tahir has 11 wickets to his name in seven matches.
Mitchell Starc – 9 Cr
Third in the list is Australia fast-bowler Mitchell Starc. The left-arm pacer is one of the leading bowlers in the shorter format and has 141 wickets to his name in 72 ODIs. Valued at 9 Cr, Starc is a player to have in your team as he can provide early breakthroughs.
