Markram Returns; Brevis, Rickelton In; South Africa's Probable XI For 1st T20I vs Australia

Dewald Brevis and Aiden Markram (Source:@ICC/X.com)

South Africa and Australia, the two powerhouses of world cricket, are all set to tussle again after their memorable WTC final. This time around, the stakes are a bit low, but it is an important T20I series for both teams as they look to fine-tune their squads for next year's T20 World Cup.

The Proteas recently lost the final of the tri-series in New Zealand, but it was a series where they handed opportunities to a lot of new players, and some of them would be featuring against the Aussies too. The likes of Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, and Kagiso Rabada are also back after a much-deserved rest, and let's see what their probable XI would be for the opening game of the tour.

Top Order - Ryan Rickelton, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Aiden Markram

Ryan Rickelton has done brilliantly for South Africa in Tests and ODIs recently, and has shown his power in SA20 as well as the IPL, where he played for Mumbai Indians. His numbers in T20Is, though, have not been great, and it is something he would like to get right in this series.

The choice of Rickelton's partner, though, would be interesting in this series. There is Aiden Markram, who scored 445 runs in the IPL for LSG as an opener, but he has been batting at 3 and 4 for South Africa in the last few years, and he might take the number 3 position in this series too, with other opening options available.

Ryan Rickelton And Lhuan-dre Pretorius In T20s

Thus, there could be a toss-up between young Lhuan-dre Pretorius and experienced Rassie van der Dussen. Lhuan-dre Pretorius was impressive in SA20 2024-25, where he scored 397 runs at a strike-rate of around 166. He showed glimpses of his talent again in the final of the tri-series, and with the future in mind, South Africa might back the youngsters in conditions that would suit his batting.

Rassie van der Dussen, on the other hand, will provide stability and reliability. He has a good average in T20Is too, but his strike-rate could be an issue and that might go against him.

Middle Order,  All-Rounders - Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Senuran Muthswamy

At four and five, there would be two talented youngsters, Tristan Stubbs and Dewald Brevis. Stubbs has been a regular feature in the South African T20I line-up and has decent numbers at four. Dewald Brevis, on the other hand, has been in the form of his life and recently made a strong comeback in the Proteas side. He would play the role that Klaasen used to play all these years for South Africa.

Dewald Brevis In Zim Tri-Series

The all-rounders, George Linde, Corbin Bosch and Senuran Muthuswamy will follow them in the line-up. They provide the Proteas with more depth in the bowling and batting departments and allow their top-order batters to go harder. Linde batted at number six in the recently held tri-series in Zimbabwe and could take that spot again, while Bosch and Muthuswamy are also quality all-rounders who have truckloads of T20 experience.

Bowlers - Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Nandre Burger

Kagiso Rabada is back, and he would fit into the XI directly with Lungi Ngidi and Nandre Burger likely to be his partners. Burger recently made his comeback after an injury and did decently, and he would enjoy conditions in Australia due to his ability to generate raw pace and bounce.

There is an option of Kwena Maphaka as well, but the youngster might have to wait at least till the second T20I to get his chance.

Overall, South Africa looks a balanced side on paper and could trouble the high-flying Aussies in Darwin.

South Africa's Probable XI For 1st T20I vs Australia

Ryan Rickelton (WK), Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Aiden Markram (C), Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Senuran Muthuswamy, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Nandre Burger

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