Australia vs South Africa: The two potential finalists of the World Test Championship Australia and South Africa will face each other in the third and final match of the three-match Test series at Sydney Cricket Ground on January 4th. With a 2-0 win, Australia sealed the series and now trying to whitewash the series.
Match: Australia vs South Africa, Test 3 of 3
Date: 4th January 2023
Time: 05:00 AM IST
Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground.
Pitch Condition: The third and final Test match will be played at Optus Stadium. The pitch here is one of the best batting venues in Australia, and it is the most spin-friendly wicket as well. The batters will enjoy the pitch on the initial days of the game as there will be no visible wicket loss in the initial overs. As the match goes on, the track will get dried up and the spinners will get an advantage in the second innings.
Australia vs South Africa – The Squad
Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Cam Green, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Marnus Labuschagne, Lance Morris, Michael Neser, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner.
South Africa: Dean Elgar (c), Temba Bavuma, Gerald Coetzee, Theunis de Bruyn, Sarel Erwee, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Lizaad Williams, Khaya Zondo, Glenton Stuurman.
Australia vs South Africa – Team Performance in the Past Matches
The hosts Australia already managed to seal the 3-match Test series with a 2-0 lead against South Africa. With the win, Australia sits on top of the Test Championship point table and they will most likely be one of the finalists. Aussies won the first Test match by 6 wickets at the Gabba within 2 days. In the second match at MCG, South Africa suffered a terrific defeat with an inning and 182 runs. David Warner has had his double ton in the match with Alex Carrey scoring 111 runs to take the game well out of the reach of the opponents. Steve Smith also contributed 85 runs. Cameron Green was excellent with the ball in the first innings by picking 5 wickets. He has also scored a half-century to become an all-rounder in the game. Nathan Lyon has got 3 wickets in the second innings.
This was South Africa’s 3rd innings defeat in 2022, the most they have suffered since 1936 in a single calendar year. They were bowled out for under 200 in the 1st innings, the 7th consecutive failure for the side. Kyle Verreynne is the only player to show the spirit with a half-century in both games. Temba Bavuma has got the best start but only scored a half-century. Anrich Nortje showed some good pace and troubled the Australian batters. Kagiso Rabada took his series wicket tally to 10.
Australia vs South Africa – Face to Face
Australia and South Africa faced each other in 100 Test matches. Out of these 100 games, Australia has won 54 times whereas West Indies has come out victorious 26 times. 20 matches ended with a draw.
Here our experts at FCL are giving a prediction for the coming match. Hope you could find it helpful by any means.
Wicket-Keeper: Kyle Verreynne, Alex Carey.
Batsmen: Temba Bavuma, Theunis de Bruyn, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne.
All-Rounders: Marco Jansen, Travis Head.
Bowlers: Kagiso Rabada, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon.
Captain: Temba Bavuma.
Vice-Captain: David Warner.
Wicket-Keeper: Kyle Verreynne, Alex Carey.
Batsmen: Steven Smith, David Warner, Temba Bavuma, Marnus Labuschagne.
All-Rounders: Marco Jansen, Travis Head.
Bowlers: Kagiso Rabada, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon.
Captain: David Warner.
Vice-Captain: Steven Smith.
