Australia vs South Africa, 1st ODI: Key player matchups
What's the story
After a thrilling T20I leg, Australia and South Africa will clash in the first of the three-match ODI series on August 19. The match will be held at Cazaly's Stadium in Cairns, the venue of the T20I series decider. South Africa eye a comeback under Temba Bavuma, while Mitchell Marsh will lead the Aussies. The impending match offers quite a few riveting player matchups.
#1
Travis Head vs Kagiso Rabada
Australia's Travis Head, known for his thunderous starts, will face a fired-up Kagiso Rabada. While Head would aim to exploit the fielding restrictions, his off-stump weakness will entice Rabada. As per ESPNcricinfo, the Proteas seamer has dismissed Head thrice in eight ODI innings. Meanwhile, the Aussie opener has scored 62 runs at an average of 20.66 against Rabada.
#2
Temba Bavuma vs Josh Hazlewood
On the other hand, Josh Hazlewood would lead the Australian pace attack in the absence of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins. The star pacer would look to remove South African skipper Temba Bavuma, who is making a comeback. Notably, Hazlewood is yet to dismiss the Proteas captain in four ODI innings. Bavuma owns 55 runs with a strike rate of 101.85 in this battle.
#3
Mitchell Marsh vs Lungi Ngidi
As mentioned, Marsh will lead the Aussies in the absence of regular skipper Cummins. Beyond the Rabada threat, the Australian openers will also have to negotiate Lungi Ngidi. As per ESPNcricinfo, the latter has dismissed Marsh twice in just five ODI innings. The Australian skipper has scored just 21 runs at 10.50 in this battle. The tally includes 29 dot balls.