Australia will host South Africa in a multi-format white ball series starting on August 10th in Darwin and ending on August 24th in Mackay. After many years, Cricket Australia has given the Northern part of the country the opportunity, making Darwin, Cairns, and Mackay the confirmed host cities.
The series includes 3 T20Is and 3 ODIs. The 1st and 2nd T20Is will be played in Darwin, while Cairns will host the 3rd T20I and the 1st ODI. Mackay will stage the 2nd and 3rd ODIs.
Match Details:
Australia vs South Africa, 1st T20I
Venue: Marrara Oval, Darwin
Date & Time: August 10th at 2:45 PM IST and at 6:45 PM Local Time
Live Telecast & Streaming: Star Sports Network & JioHotstar
Kane Richardson cannot wait for this T20I series against South Africa to kick off on Sunday 😎
Preview it on The #UnplayablePodcast: https://t.co/F6VbtkPLSy pic.twitter.com/DXWZkhf0ZM
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) August 8, 2025
What is the Pitch Report for AUS vs SA, 1st T20I?
Marrara Oval is set to host its first T20I on Sunday. This upcoming T20I between Australia and South Africa will be the first international fixture at the venue in 16 years.
Conditions are unknown, but we can expect a balanced wicket.
What is the Head-to-Head Record in Australia vs South Africa T20I Matches?
Matches Played: 25
Australia Won: 17
South Africa Won: 8
No Result: 0
Recent form:
Australia: Won, Won, Won, Won, Won
South Africa: Lost, Lost, Won, Lost, Won
AUS vs SA, 1st T20I Probable Winners:
Australia are expected to win this match.
What is the Expected, Probable Playing XIs for AUS vs SA, 1st T20I?
Australia
Mitchell Marsh (c), Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Cameron Green, Glenn Maxwell, Tim David, Mitchell Owen, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood / Sean Abbott.
South Africa
Aiden Markram (c), Ryan Rickelton (wk), Rassie van der Dussen, Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, George Linde, Senuran Muthusamy, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Nandre Burger.
Injury Updates:
Matt Short, who is still recovering from a side strain, will miss the first two T20Is.
What are the Fantasy Cricket Top Picks, Players for AUS vs SA, 1st T20I?
Top Pick – Batter
Cameron Green played entirely as a batter during the T20I series against West Indies and won the Player of the Series for his exceptional batting, where he scored 205 runs in 5 matches, which includes 3 half-centuries.
Top Pick – All-Rounder
On his debut T20I series against West Indies, Mitchell Owen put up an eye-catching performance, making the scores of 50, 36*, 2, and 37, while with the ball picked up 2 wickets in 3 innings he bowled.
Top Pick – Bowler
Aiden Markram on the eve of battle 🏏🔥
Speaking about the challenge of playing in Darwin, our T20 captain acknowledges the testing conditions but backs the Proteas’ preparation and mindset heading into this opening T20I against Australia.🎙#WozaNawe pic.twitter.com/T8PRmYpjxE
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) August 9, 2025
Top Pick – Wicketkeeper
Josh Inglis was Australia’s 2nd leading run-getter in the T20I series against West Indies, making 172 runs in 5 matches at a strike rate of 209.75.
X-Factor:
Dewald Brevis showed a lot of maturity during the T20I Tri-series in Zimbabwe last month, where he emerged as the best batter for South Africa, scoring 133 runs in 5 matches at a strike rate of 187.32.
What are the Fantasy Suggested Teams for AUS vs SA, 1st T20I?
1. Josh Inglis, Ryan Rickelton, Travis Head (c), Cameron Green, Travis Head, Tristan Stubbs (vc), Dewald Brevis, George Linde, Mitchell Owen, Adam Zampa, Kagiso Rabada.
2. Ryan Rickelton, Mitchell Marsh, Travis Head, Aiden Markram (vc), Cameron Green (c), Tristan Stubbs, Glenn Maxwell, Corbin Bosch, Josh Hazlewood, Ben Dwarshuis, Senuran Muthusamy.
One Last Push! 💪
The Proteas men are wrapping up preparations before the first T20I showdown with Australia tomorrow. 🏏🇿🇦#WozaNawe pic.twitter.com/vSA15dhrch
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) August 9, 2025
Pre-Match Analysis:
Australia enters the series after a successful tour of the Caribbean, where they didn’t lose a game, winning the Test series 3-0 and taking all 5 T20Is. They will use a similar squad as against the West Indies, with some tweaks. Rising stars Cooper Connolly and Jake Fraser McGurk have been sidelined after an average performance, while all-format players Travis Head and Josh Hazlewood return to the T20 team.
Captain Mitchell Marsh, who didn’t have the best series against the West Indies, has confirmed he will open the batting with Travis Head, meaning Glenn Maxwell, who opened four times during the 5-0 T20I series win, will move down to the middle order. Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Tim David, and Mitchell Owen, who all impressed with their hitting, will keep their spots.
On the bowling side, the emergence of Ben Dwarshuis and Nathan Ellis adds competition to the squad, and Josh Hazlewood’s return will increase options. Adam Zampa will lead the spin attack, with Matthew Kuhnemann as cover.
South Africa, who lost the T20I Tri-series final last month to New Zealand with an experimental squad in Zimbabwe, has arrived in Australia with a full-strength team. Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Kagiso Rabada, and captain Aiden Markram are back for the high-profile series. Rassie van der Dussen, who led the team during the Tri-series, and others like George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi, Senuran Muthusamy, Nqabayomzi Peter, Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, and Dewald Brevis are also included. The 31-year-old off-spinner Prenalan Subrayen, who made his Test debut last month, has been selected for the T20Is. Senior batter Reeza Hendricks has been dropped.
The Proteas last played a bilateral T20I series in Australia seven years ago, winning a solitary game by 21 runs.
