The second of this year’s Men’s ODI World Cup semi-finals will see Australia and South Africa go toe to toe, reigniting a fiery rivalry.
Both teams have it all covered – from big hitters to express quicks and skilful spin bowlers – so this could well go down as a classic!
Check out our full preview of the match below, complete with betting tips and player props!
ICC Cricket World Cup Betting Tips
Australia vs South Africa
Kolkata, Thursday 16th November, 7:30pm (AEDT)
Australia
Australia are brimming with confidence after recording seven straight victories to close out the group stage in third place.
Throughout that period the Aussies have shown all the trademarks of a champion team, overcoming adversity and challenging match scenarios to keep winning in imperfect ways.
The Afghanistan game was a perfect example – Australia fell to 7/93 before staging a record-breaking comeback to win with three overs remaining. Of course, it would be remiss of me to skip over Glenn Maxwell’s performance in that game – the all-rounder smashed 201* off 128 balls to make the near impossible chase a reality.
Aside from that performance, Australia have shown that they can both chase and set totals, and prevail in both high and low scoring encounters.
On the individual front, David Warner (499 runs) and Mitch Marsh (426 runs) are both among the top run scorers in the tournament, and Adam Zampa leads all bowlers with 22 wickets.
Heading into this do-or-die clash, Australia will have all 15 players to choose from, setting up the likely situation where one of Marnus Labuschagne and Marcus Stoinis will be unlucky to miss out on a spot in the XI.
Whichever way the selectors go, this Australian side will surely be imposing on paper.
Australia Predicted XI: David Warner, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Steve Smith, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
South Africa
South Africa have surprised many in this tournament, charging to second spot on the table with seven wins from nine matches.
Despite boasting just one frontline spinner in most matches, the Proteas have managed to restrict opposition batsmen while piling on runs of their own – surpassing 380 on three separate occasions.
Quinton De Kock has played a massive part in this, amassing 591 runs to sit second in the run scorer rankings for the tournament. He has been well supported by the likes of van der Dussen, Markram, Klaasen, Miller and Jansen, who have all contributed with the bat at different stages.
Jansen has also been one of South Africa’s key weapons with the ball, taking 17 wickets to lead the attack alongside Gerald Coetzee (18 wickets) and Keshav Maharaj (14 wickets).
Temba Bavuma and Lungi Ngidi are the only players who have significantly underperformed, ensuring that consistent team performances have been the norm.
I expect an unchanged best XI for this crunch contest – could World Cup redemption be on the cards come Sunday?
South Africa Predicted XI: Quinton De Kock, Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi
Betting Tips
These two sides are well acquainted with each other, having faced off in six ODI matches since September. South Africa hold a 4-2 advantage over that period, with each victory coming in comfortable fashion. I expect that trend to continue on Thursday for a few reasons. This match may be impacted by rain, which can only benefit South Africa’s explosive batting group, and I think Australia’s misfiring bowling outfit will struggle to contain the likes of De Kock, Klaasen and Miller. While anything is possible, the Proteas appear to be great value as underdogs.
South Africa to Win
$2.10
Player Prop Quick Tips
Keshav Maharaj Over 2.5 Wickets - $4.50 (Ladbrokes) – Australia are renowned for struggling against top quality spin bowling, and Maharaj brings exactly that. South Africa’s #1 slow bowler took 8 wickets in the September ODI series and has claimed 14 scalps in this World Cup campaign, so it’s baffling that he’s such long odds to take a bag here.
