SA vs AUS 1st T20I - Betting Tips and Predictions

Steven Smith has taken over the captaincy in the T20 format following the criticism of Aaron Finch for the 3-0 series loss to India at home in January. Their poor run in the shortest version of the game has forced them to make plenty of changes to their squad. Kane Richardson, Chris Lynn, Matthew Wade and Shaun Tait have all been dropped while wicket-keeper Peter Nevill, all-rounder Mitchell Marsh and spinners Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar have been drafted in. With just a few days to go for the World T20, Australia are going into the series with the purpose of building their team and finding the right combinations.

There's a competition for the opening positions among Aaron Finch, David Warner, Usman Khawaja and Shane Watson. Watson's unbeaten 124 the last time he batted might put him ahead of ex-skipper Finch. He was the highest run-getter besides taking the most wickets for his side in the India series and can be considered for betting on. The Aussie pace attack looks sharp enough with Josh Hazlewood, Andrew Tye and Nathan Coulter-Nile being the frontline fast bowlers. Mitchell Marsh took 7 wickets and was the most impressive of all bowlers against New Zealand.

Final Prediction:

If the recent performances of both the teams in this format are looked into, it won't be wrong to deem South Africa as the favorites. The new-look Australia featuring a few debutants, however, are a side that cannot be written off. They have beaten the Proteas nine times in the last fourteen T20 encounters including the 2014 series in Australia where they won 2-1. South Africa have won four of the six T20s they have played at the Kingsmead. Their good record at this venue coupled with the advantage of playing at home puts South Africa slightly ahead of Australia in the opening T20 match.

Betting odds for South Africa vs Australia 1st T20I:
South Africa - 1.83 ; Australia - 2.18