With the ICC T20 World Cup looming large, no contest is a dead rubber. Though South Africa have taken an unassailable lead, they – and Ireland – have a lot to play for when they face off in the third T20I.
South Africa have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead, but the manners of their wins on this tour has been far from convincing. They have got too many questions to address.
Chief among them is the batting position. Temba Bavuma will be heading to the contest off back-to-back ducks. Bavuma has never been a natural T20 player, and the burden of captaincy is doing no good to him either. At No. 3 he comes across as a conservative scorer, not someone to be relied upon to keep up with the tempo after Powerplay.
Janneman Malan has failed to translate his ODI form, having scored 4 and 0 in the first two T20Is. If South Africa decide to bring in either Kyle Verreynne or Heinrich Klaasen, Malan may lose his spot.
While South Africa are short on alternatives, they are definitely short on time. After today, they have three more matches to nail the playing XI for World Cup. Thankfully, their bowling attack is more or less sorted. Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Anrich Nortje will form the fast bowling attack, while Tabraiz Shamsi and George Linde will be frontline spinners.
Ireland gifted away a win after reducing South Africa to 58/5 in the second T20I. Their bowlers have managed to land early blows on both occasions, but failed to sustain the pressure for a longer stretch. Mark Adair has been consistent so far, picking up three wickets in the first T20Is and two in the second.
On the batting front, none barring Harry Tector has stood up to the occasion. Kevin O’Brien has three ducks in his last three international appearances. While he may still be picked, Ireland need to have a backup plan in case his lean patch does not end before the T20 World Cup.
Betway Fantasy Tips
- Shamsi has been the most threatening proposition for Ireland’s batters. With seven wickets in two games, he leads the wickets chart this the series.
- Quinton de Kock has not had a great series so far. He will like to turn things around and gain some momentum before the action shifts to Sri Lanka for another T20I series.
- Paul Stirling is a must-have for any fantasy XI. Apart from being an opening batter, he also chips in with crucial wickets.
Probable XIs
South Africa: Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Janneman Malan, George Linde, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lizaad Williams
Ireland: Kevin O’Brien, Paul Stirling, Andy Balbirnie, Harry Tector, George Dockrell, Lorcan Tucker, Simi Singh, Shane Getkate, Barry McCarthy, Josh Little, Craig Young
Prediction
South Africa should make it 3-0.