South Africa vs Pakistan – 1st T20I Betting Tips

Host South Africa will be looking to make a strong comeback in the T20I series when they take on Pakistan in the opening game at The Wanderers in Johannesburg.

In the absence of key players, South Africa lacked firepower in the batting and bowling department. The home side lost their first ODI series after a gap of three years. Captain Temba Bavuma will be looking to bring in new players and turn things around in this four-match T20I series.

On the other hand, Pakistan are coming off a 2-1 series win in the 50-over format which will give them confidence ahead of the four-match T20 matches. The visitors will be looking to build nice momentum for this year’s ICC T20 World Cup.

South Africa Form and Team News

The home side will be looking to turn their fortunes around in the T20 format. In their last nine matches, South Africa have come out on top on two occasions. Wihaan Lubbe, Migael Pretorius, Lizaad Williams, and Sisanda Magala are four uncapped players named in the T20I squad for the four-match series.

In the batting department, the side will be relying heavily on the likes of Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen and Temba Bavuma to deliver the bulk of the runs.

In the final ODI, opener Janneman Malan showed excellent form with the bat and scored 70 runs off 81 balls with the help of nine boundaries. He will be looking to continue his rich vein of form with the bat in this T20I series.

Heinrich Klaasen, Kyle Verreynne, and George Linde will make up the middle-order for South Africa for the opening game of the T20I series.

In the final game, Kyle Verreynne once again impressed with the bat and will retain his playing XI for the T20I series.

In the bowling department, the side will be relying on the pace duo of Dwaine Pretorius and Beuran Hendricks to take wickets with the new ball. George Linde, Bjorn Fortuin and Tabraiz Shamsi will be three spinners for this game.

Pakistan Form and Team News

The visitors will be looking to continue their winning momentum after registering a famous ODI series win over South Africa. Leg-spinner Shadab Khan has been ruled out of the T20I series due to a toe injury.

After notching up back-to-back centuries against South Africa, Fakhar Zaman has been included in the T20I squad for the four-match series.

Given his excellent form in the ODI series, Fakhar Zaman is expected to open the innings with Sharjeel Khan for the T20I series.

In the batting department, the side will be relying on the top-order trio of Fakhar Zaman, Sharjeel Khan, and Babar Azam to make notable scores in this contest.

Muhammad Hafeez, Haider Ali, and wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan will bring much stability to the middle-order for the T20I series.

In the bowling department, the side will be relying on the pace trio of Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, and Shaheen Shah Afridi to make breakthroughs in this contest. Leg-spinner Usman Qadir will be the lone spinner for this game.

Odds by Casumo

According to the Casumo sportsbook, Pakistan will be favorites to win the opening game of the T20I series to be played at The Wanderers in Johannesburg. For the first T20I, South Africa are placed at 2.12 odds, while Pakistan are placed at 1.68 odds.

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Our Tipsters Angle

Pakistan’s tour of South Africa moves on to the T20s now after the visitors won the ODI series by a margin of 2-1. In the absence of five premier players, South Africa will be looking to fill the gaps and field their strongest playing XI for this game. With the likes of Quinton de Kock and Kagiso Rabada missing from the T20I series, there will be added pressure on the likes of Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen to do well.

Therefore, the prediction is for South Africa to beat Pakistan by a close margin in the first T20I game at the Wanderers.

Tip 1: Babar Azam to continue his excellent form in the T20I series

There is no doubt that Babar Azam was instrumental in helping Pakistan win the ODI series against Pakistan. The 26-year old will be looking to continue impressive form in the four-match T20I series.

Since November 2019, Babar Azam has topped the batting charts for Pakistan in the T20I series. In 14 innings, Azam has accumulated 440 runs at an average of 44.00 with six half-centuries to his name.

After replacing Virat Kohli as the number-one ranked ODI batsman in the world, Azam will be looking to maintain his consistency with the bat against South Africa. Given his excellent numbers for Pakistan, we expect Babar to score 45 runs or [email protected].

Tip 2: Tabraiz Shamsi to lead the charge for South Africa with the ball

Left-arm spinner, Tabraiz Shamsi failed to make an impact with the ball in the recently concluded ODI series against Pakistan. He will be looking to make a strong comeback for South Africa and deliver the goods in this T20I series.

Shamsi will take heart from the fact that he has shown incredible consistency for South Africa in the shortest format of the game. Since September 2019, Shamsi has claimed 17 scalps in 14 innings at an economy rate of 7.05. Given his impressive form in the T20I format, we expect Tabraiz Shamsi to take two wickets or [email protected].

Conclusion

Expect South Africa to register a narrow win over Pakistan and take a 1-0 lead in the four-match T20I series.

1. Babar Azam to score 45 runs or [email protected]
2. Tabraiz Shamsi to take two wickets or more-South [email protected]

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