Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein – Venue Details & Pitch Report
Average First Innings Score at Bloemfontein in ODIs since 2020: 304
Batting First vs Batting Second at Bloemfontein in ODIs since 2020: Win Bat 1st - 25%, Win Bat 2nd - 75%
SA-AUS Players in the top 10 leading run-scorers list at the venue since 2020: Temba Bavuma(1), Rassie van der Dussen(2), David Miller(3), Heinrich Klaasen(6), Aiden Markram(8), Marnus Labuschagne(9)
SA-AUS Players in the top 10 leading wicket-takers list at the venue since 2020: Lungi Ngidi(1), Anirch Nortje(2), Kagiso Rabada(3), Adam Zampa(5), Josh Hazlewood(7), Sisanda Magala(9), Gerald Coetzee(10)
Pitch Report: The surface at Bloemfontein did not play according to its general tendency in the 1st ODI, where we expected plenty of runs. The pitch in the 1st ODI was slow and had uneven bounce which evened out as the match progressed.
We will need confirmation if the pitch used for the second ODI will play according to the ground's reputation - [flat wicket, a lot of runs] or if it will remain the same as it was in the 1st ODI [slow, and tricky for the batters].
Predicted Playing XI - South Africa (SA) vs Australia (AUS), 2nd ODI
South Africa: Quinton de Kock(wk), Temba Bavuma©, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi
Australia: Travis Head, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh©, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis, Alex Carey(wk), Marcus Stoinis, Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
Fantasy Notes - South Africa (SA) vs Australia (AUS), 2nd ODI
POINTS TO CONSIDER
- At the time of writing, neither team has announced their XIs for the second ODI, like they did 24 hours before the start of the first ODI.
- There is a high possibility that Marnus Labuschagne will replace Cameron Green, who was subbed out in the first ODI due to concussion.
- Australia has 5 bowlers capable of bowling their full quota of overs even in the absence of Cameron Green. In any case, if there is a need for the sixth bowler, their captain Mitchell Marsh himself can play that role in this match.
- Quinton de Kock vs Josh Hazlewood (ODIs): Outs - 6, Avg - 10.8, SR - 60, Balls - 109; If there is some grass on the pitch and if South Africa are batting first, the Proteas opener might be vulnerable against the tight and accurate lengths of Hazlewood.
- Temba Bavuma in ODIs in 2023: Inns - 7, Runs - 534, Avg - 107, 50s - 1, 100s - 3; The South African skipper played a lone man's innings as he guided his team to a decent score, after being put in a very difficult position as the other batters were unable to stay long at the crease. He was a great differential pick in the first ODI but the same cannot be said for this match as he is selected in over 60% of the teams currently.
- Since 2020 and barring the last game, atleast one of the openers from the chasing team have scored a century. If the pitch is flat and behaves according to its past reputation, openers from the second innings team can be good differential C/VC options.
- David Miller vs Australia in ODIs: Inns - 19, Runs - 713, Avg - 59/105, 50s - 4, 100s - 2; In South Africa (ODIs since 2020): Inns - 16, Runs - 653, Avg/SR - 65/116, 50s - 8; He can be a good differential pick (8%) in this match as he has good numbers but the only issue is his recent form from the MLS where he had a poor tournament.
- Express pace and hard length bowling can trouble the best of batters and Gerald Coetzee has the ability to pick up wickets with that skill, especially in the middle overs. He can also contribute some runs in the lower order.
- Rassie van der Dussen was unfortunate to get run out in the first ODI but he is an excellent batter in this format. We will consider backing him in our team once again especially if the pitch is flat and suitable for run scoring.
Fantasy XI - South Africa (SA) vs Australia (AUS), 2nd ODI
WK: Quinton de Kock
BAT: Rassie van der Dussen, Marnus Labuschagne, Temba Bavuma, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh
AR: Marcus Stoinis, Aiden Markram
BOWL: Josh Hazlewood, Kagiso Rabada, Gerald Coetzee
C/VC: Aiden Markram, Marnus Labuschagne
Differentials: Lungi Ngidi (9.6%), David Miller (8%)
C/VC Alternatives: Rassie van der Dussen, Mitchell Marsh, Gerald Coetzee, Josh Hazlewood
Note: Return after 15 minutes of the toss for a fully updated XI, Also stay tuned to our telegram channel for regular updates
Stats Credit: Cricinfo, Cricmetric
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