England vs South Africa – 1st T20 International Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is England vs South Africa taking place? Wednesday, July 27th, 2022 – 18:30 (UK)
Where is England vs South Africa taking place? Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol
What is the expected weather for England vs South Africa? 21-22c cloudy with a chance of light rain later in the day and a moderate breeze throughout.
What channel is England vs South Africa on? The match will be televised in the UK live on Sky Sports
Where can I stream England vs South Africa? Subscribers of Sky Sports based in the UK will be able to stream this match live on the Sky Go app.
LAST MEETING
South Africa beat England by 10 runs.
THE TEAM NEWS
ENGLAND
- Rain curtailed the third ODI prematurely, preventing England from being able to push for their first white-ball series victory under Jos Buttler, but the hosts cannot rest on their laurels with the opening match of a three-game T20i series just three days later.
- Fast bowlers Chris Jordan and Richard Gleeson come back into the squad for the change of format with Jordan an absolute lock to play and he could be joined by the Lancashire paceman, who played two of England’s three T20i matches against India earlier in the month.
- As is always the case with England in T20 cricket, Buttler will open with Jason Roy, whilst Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow are expected to bat at numbers three and four respectively, which is likely to mean no place in the side for Phil Salt.
SOUTH AFRICA
- South Africa’s last T20i series saw them earn an extremely credible 2-2 draw away to India, in which rain in the final match prevented a result and they have every reason to be confident of success here after competing well with England across the ODIs.
- After being rested for the ODI series, fast bowler Kagiso Rabada returns to the Proteas squad and is likely to feature prominently in Bristol, forming an imposing partnership with Anrich Nortje.
- David Miller captains South Africa for these T20i matches as he hopes to continue his good form with the bat across the year, whilst big-hitting batter Rilee Rossouw will be hoping for an opportunity to play after being called up following a fantastic T20 Blast campaign with Somerset.
THE PREDICTION
Jos Buttler has voiced his frustration at the inability of his side to train together as much as they would have liked due to the short turnaround between series, but the England skipper has a strong squad at his disposal. The hosts are boosted by the return of leg-spin-bowler Adil Rashid, who was unavailable for the India T20i series and his presence amid the England bowling unit will be a crucial one across this match. South Africa themselves are strengthened by the return of Rabada, but he faces a tough assignment against an imposing England top order with a point to prove. The pitch at Bristol is likely to be a high-scoring one, which should benefit Buttler’s men so consider backing England to win and take a series lead.
