Markram To Drop Lhuan-dre Pretorius? South Africa's Probable XI For 3rd T20I vs AUS

SA and AUS captains after 2nd T20I (Source: AFP)

It is time for the third and final T20I of the series between Australia and England. The Proteas made a strong comeback after losing the first match, and the stage is now set nicely for the decider of the series.

Aiden Markram made two changes to the playing XI in the last match. They dropped two spin-bowling all-rounders and brought in a batter and a leggie. The general temptation would be to go with a winning combination, but different factors can contribute to some changes. In this article, let's see what changes South Africa can make.

Rassie van der Dussen To Bat At 3 In Place Of Lhuan dre-Pretorius?

South Africa have backed young Lhuan-dre Pretorius at number 3 in this series so far. However, the move has not worked for the Proteas so far, and the batter has managed just 24 runs in two innings. Thus, there is an option to bring in Rassie van der Dussen at number 3. He is an experienced cricketer who has done decently in that position in T20Is so far, and did not get a chance to bat despite being in the playing XI in the last match.

Stats Of Lhuan-dre Pretorius & Rassie van der Dussen At 3 In T20Is

However, Rassie van der Dussen is not a power-hitter, and so he has not had regular chances in the shortest format. His strike-rate at number 3 in T20Is is 124.83, and in modern-day T20 cricket, it is way below what is required.

Also, the conditions in the second T20I were batting-friendly, and both teams have backed power-hitters in their line-up. Lhuan-dre Pretorius has not done well in this series, but he is known for his supreme talent and can score runs at a very high strike-rate when he gets going. Thus, South Africa might back the youngster despite failing in the two matches, and he is likely to bat at number 3 again.

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Spin Bowling All-Rounders To Be Back For Decider?

The visitors played George Linde and Senuran Muthuswamy in the playing XI in the first match. Both are spin-bowling all-rounders but could not make much of an impact. Thus, after the loss, the Proteas decided to go with Rassie van der Dussen and Nqabayomzi Peter in the second T20I. The team management, though, did not show confidence in Rassie van der Dussen despite South Africa losing two early wickets, and he eventually did not bat. 

Peter, the leg-spinner, also leaked 35 runs in three overs and got only one wicket. Both George Linde and Senuran Muthuswamy are experienced cricketers and can do what Nqabai Peter did. They will provide more depth in the batting line-up with their all-round skills, and it could be crucial for South Africa in the decider against a strong Australian unit. Therefore, South Africa might go with their all-rounders in place of players with specialised skills in the final T20I.

Nandre Burger To Get A Chance In Final Match?

South Africa has used four pacers in their line-up so far, with Corbin Bosch playing as an all-rounder. The three other pacers, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Kwena Maphaka, have done well so far, but with the T20 World Cup 2024 in mind, they might want to try out Nandre Burger. However, it is a decider, and so it would be a tough call to bring Burger into the XI.

In case they decided to include Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi might sit out. He bowled well in the last match, but is an injury-prone cricketer and resting him for the final match could keep him fresh for the upcoming ventures.

South Africa's Probable XI For 3rd T20I vs Australia

Ryan Rickelton (wk), Aiden Markram (c), Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Senuran Muthuswamy, Kagiso Rabada, Kwena Maphaka, Nandre Burger

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