Australia, the six-time world champion, will host a strong South African team in a three-match ODI series that starts on Tuesday. The first game of the series will be in Cairns, and it will be the start of a much-anticipated white-ball battle between the two cricketing superpowers.
Mitchell Marsh, an all-rounder, will lead the Australian side in the absence of usual Test captain Pat Cummins and star pacer Mitchell Starc. The Australians just won the T20I series 2-1. Reports say that both players are being rested because of injury worries that got worse during the recent Test series in England. Josh Hazlewood and Adam Zampa, who are both experienced bowlers, will have to take charge of the bowling attack in their absence.
The series sees the return of Temba Bavuma as captain for South Africa in the 50-over format. But everyone will be watching Dewald Brevis, who is a rising star. The 22-year-old, whose blistering batting earned him the nickname “Baby AB,” was in great shape during the previous T20I series. Captain Bavuma has hinted that he will probably make his ODI debut in the first game of the series.
The series will be a very important test for both teams as they get ready for upcoming ICC competitions. In the past, the rivalry has been quite close, with South Africa winning 55 of their 110 ODIs versus Australia’s 51.
Schedule (IST)
| DATE | DAY | MATCH | VENUE | START TIME |
| August 19 | Tuesday | 1st ODI | Cazaly’s Stadium, Cairns | 10:00 AM |
| August 22 | Friday | 2nd ODI | Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay | 10:00 AM |
| August 24 | Sunday | 3rd ODI | Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay | 10:00 AM |
The first game of the series will take place at Cazaly’s Stadium in Cairns. The next two ODIs will take place in Mackay on August 22 and 24. The start time for all three matches is 10:00 AM IST.
Indian audiences can watch the matches live on the Star Sports network and stream them on the Jio Hotstar app and website.
Teams:
Australia: Mitchell Marsh (C), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Adam Zampa
Temba Bavuma (C), Corbin Bosch, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram, Kwena Maphaka, Senuran Muthusamy, Keshav Maharaj, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, and Prenelan Subrayen are all from South Africa.