Australia vs South Africa, AUS vs RSA, Today Match Prediction 26 December 2022

aus vs sa Match Prediction & Analysis

Deal Elgar was the unhappy captain after the Gabba Test. The South Africa captain reckoned with 50 more runs in their score, it could have been their game.

And it seems reasonable to some extent given the Aussies lost 4 wickets while chasing just 35 runs. The visitors would expect a better surface as they travel to Melbourne for the 2nd Test.

Dean Elgar, Sarel Erwee, and Rassie van der Dussen would be eager to score runs in the top order for the Proteas. At the same time, the pacers in the Aussie camp will be licking their lips considering the bounce on offer in Melbourne. 

Cummins, Starc, and Boland are in great touch and are the key players in the Aussie bowling attack. Travis Head’s 92 off 96 balls on a horrifying Gabba pitch was a big statement. The wicket-keeper batsman is Australia’s big-impact player who can turn the game around single-handedly. 

TEAMS PREVIEW

Australia Preview

Australia have a very strong possibility of reaching the WTC final. With just one loss so far in this WTC cycle, Australia’s toughest challenge awaits them in India. Until then, Cummins would like his men to make the most of their last home series of the season.

There aren’t any big concerns in the Australian batting lineup. Though the batting order collapsed in the last game, it was mostly due to a poor pitch at one of the most iconic grounds in Australia. A more balanced surface in Melbourne will present the batters with a great opportunity.

Khawaja has been consistent in scoring runs as an opener and with Labuschagne and Smith at 3 and 4, Australia have the best top order in the world right now. In 2022, Marnus Labuschagne scored 943 runs from just 18 innings at an average of 58.94. This includes 4 hundreds and a fifty. 

Another big impact player in this side is Travis Head who comes in to bat at number 5. The left-handed batsman has scored 2 hundreds and 2 fifties from 14 innings stacking up a total of 604 runs in 2022.

Since spinners don’t find much purchase from the pitch in Melbourne, Lyon may not be a good choice. The pacers are in great touch and have delivered breakthroughs consistently in the home season so far. 

There were talks about Lance Morris coming in for the Melbourne Test given his pace. Australia’s got a strong overall squad and with the home advantage, they will be coming into this game with an edge over the visitors.

Australia Predicted Playing XI:

David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Lance Morris

Australia Actual Playing XI:

Scott Boland, Nathan Lyon, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Alex Carey, Steven Smith, Usman Khawaja, Cameron Green, David Warner, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne

South Africa Preview

The loss in the opening Test of the series saw South Africa slip in the WTC points table. Elgar’s team can get back to number 2 in the standings if they manage to win the rest of the Tests on this tour.

They will again have the upper hand as they go back home to host a 2-match Test series against West Indies. For now, they have a tough challenge on their hands. The hosts were all over the Proteas' batting lineup at The Gabba.

The visitors will be down on momentum and confidence as far as batting is concerned. Even before the opening Test, South Africa were struggling in away games with the bat. On their tour of England, the Proteas failed to cross the 200-run mark in the 2nd and 3rd Test.

Temba Bavuma looked in better shape than the rest of the batting lineup in the last match. He will be one to watch out for in the middle order. Khaya Zondo and Kyle Verryenne hold crucial spots in the middle order at number 5 and 6 before the bowling all-rounder Marco Jansen comes on to the crease at 7.

Zondo hasn’t got much experience having debuted in 2022 and played just 3 Tests so far. Verryenne, the 25-year-old wicket-keeper batsman has 1 fifty and a hundred to his name from 20 innings so far.

He will be a crucial batsman in this batting order in the Melbourne Test for the visitors. Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and Nortje will be lethal at this surface with their pace and bounce. 

South Africa Predicted Playing XI:

Dean Elgar (c), Sarel Erwee, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Khaya Zondo, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi

South Africa Actual Playing XI:

Sarel Erwee, Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen, Theunis de Bruyn, Khaya Zondo, Dean Elgar, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Kyle Verreynne, Lungi Ngidi, Temba Bavuma

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch at the MCG offers an even contest between bat and ball. It is a balanced surface where the bowlers will find help early on and later as the pitch gets old, batters can play more freely. The weather is expected to be partly cloudy with a high of 32 degrees Celsius.

Venue Details

Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne will be the venue for the 2nd Test match of the series. It is an iconic stadium that has hosted over 100 Tests including the first-ever Test match.

Toss: To Bat

Teams batting first have won 56 of the 115 Tests played at this venue. The average 1st and 2nd innings score are just over 300 runs at the MCG. Chasing in the 4th innings at this ground will not be easy.