Rashid Khan and David Miller (Source: Twitter)
Finally the SA 20 is upon us. The tournament appears to be a mini version of the Indian Premier League as the sister franchise of six of the IPL teams will be contesting in this tournament. This will be the inaugural edition of the tournament and all the participants will be eager to etch their name in the history books by lifting the trophy for the first time.
The opening clash of the tournament will see MI Cape Town and Paarl Royals face off against each other. The match will be played at the Newlands Stadium in Cape Town on Tuesday, January 10th 2023. It is scheduled to start at 9:00 PM IST.
Ground Stats
The pitch at the Newlands Stadium has been a sporty one. It provides something for players of all trades. While the bowlers will enjoy the bounce here, the batters who are good square of the wicket can reap benefits from the pitch.
As it is the first match of the tournament we will take a look at the records of the International T20 matches that have been played here.
T20I Records at the ground
Total Matches: 21
Matches won batting first: 6
Matches won batting second: 15
Average Score batting first: 157
Average Score batting second: 145
Average runs scored per over: 7.99
Average runs scored per wicket: 25
CT vs PR, Match 1 Probable Final 13
MICT Team News
Liam Livingstone is not available for selection.
MI Cape Town Probable Final 13
Ryan Rickelton (wk), Wesley Marshall, Rassie van der Dussen, Dewald Brevis, Grant Roelofsen, Odean Smith ✈️, Sam Curran ✈️, Rashid Khan ✈️ (c), George Linde, Kagiso Rabada, Duan Jansen, Beuran Hendricks, Jofra Archer✈️
PRL Team News
No major updates
Paarl Royals Probable Final 13
Jos Buttler (wk) ✈️, Jason Roy ✈️, Wihan Lubbe, Eoin Morgan✈️, David Miller (c), Mitchell van Buuren, Andile Phehlukwayo, Obed McCoy✈️, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lungi Ngidi, Bjorn Fortuin, Dane Vilas, Corbin Bosch
Key Facts to be kept in mind
- Jos Buttler has four fifty plus scores in the last ten T20I Innings
- Dewald Brevis has scored 200 runs in the last five T20 innings,. But 162 of these runs cam in a single inning.
- If Jofra Archer plays it will be his first competitive match in 18 months
- Ryan Rickelton was the highest run scorer in the recently concluded CSA One-day Challenge Division One.
- In the last five T20 matches that Tabraiz Shamsi has played, he has picked up eight wickets while conceding runs at an economy rate of 7.47.
Expert's Tips
The pitch will be a sporty one and players off all specialities will get to display their skills. A balance between batters - all-rounders -bowlers is necessary.
Team 1: For Head-to-Head contests (Cricket Exchange Fantasy App)
Wicketkeepers: Jos Buttler, Ryan Rickelton
Batters: Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Mitchell van Buuren
All-rounders: Sam Curran, Andile Phehlukwayo, Wihan Lubbe
Bowlers: Kagiso Rabada, Rashid Khan, Tabraiz Shamsi
Captain: Jos Buttler
Vice-captain: Ryan Rickelton
Team 2: For Head-to-Head contests (Cricket Exchange Fantasy App)
Wicketkeepers: Jos Buttler, Ryan Rickelton
Batters: Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Eoin Morgan
All-rounders: Sam Curran, Andile Phehlukwayo, Odean Smith
Bowlers: Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Beuran Hendricks
Captain: David Miller
Vice-captain: Sam Curran
Also read: Captains to name playing XI after toss as SA20 announces revised playing conditions