Australia look to hit back in one-off T20I

Overview

Australia v South Africa
Only T20I
Carrara Oval, Queensland
Saturday, 17 November, 6.20pm local time, 8:20am GMT

Australia, despite their third position in the MRF Tyres ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings, have lost three of their last five T20I series and will aim for a momentum shift in the format. Importantly, the Aaron Finch-led side have not posted a total in excess of 140 in their last four T20I innings.

A lot will depend on their skipper, who holds the No.2 spot in the MRF Tyres ICC Men's T20I Rankings for batsmen. Finch has a career average of 41.05 and strike rate of 158.51 in T20Is, and has done even better when captain: 717 runs at an average of 42.17 with a strike rate of 160.40.

Apart from Finch, the hosts will expect T20I specialists like Andrew Tye and Chris Lynn to bring their best to the fore. Their potent pace battery, spearheaded by Nathan Coulter-Nile and Billy Stanlake, will also be crucial in the bouncy conditions in Queensland.

South Africa, on the other hand, will be high on confidence after clinching the ODI series. They recently beat Zimbabwe in a T20I series too, and against Australia, they will rely extensively on their skipper Faf du Plessis and all-rounder JP Duminy, who is No.4 on the MRF Tyres ICC Men's T20I Rankings for all-rounders.

With the likes of Imran Tahir, Kagiso Rabada and Andile Phehlukwayo, the visitors have a decent mix of experience and exuberance in their bowling attack. Duminy and Chris Morris, who returned 2/35 in the tour match against Cricket Australia XI on Wednesday, will provide du Plessis with extra bowling options if picked.

While the Proteas look well-settled in the bowling department, their batting efforts have been up and down recently. They will be keen to iron out that wrinkle against Australia on Saturday.

Key players

**Aaron Finch (Australia):**The Australia white-ball skipper is also their best player in the shortest format of the game. A destructive opener, Finch has the ability to win matches for his side with his explosive batting at the top of the order. With 469 runs in 13 innings at an average over 52, he is Australia's leading run-scorer in T20Is this year.

**JP Duminy (South Africa):**The 34-year-old, who brings solidity to South Africa's sometimes wobbly middle order, will be one of their most important players. A left-hander who has the full range of shots, Duminy is a dangerous batsman on his day. His off-breaks are also rather handy.

Conditions

The forecast is of showers during the game. The Carrara Oval will host its first T20I on Saturday, which means both the teams will be unaware of what to expect.

Squads

**Australia:**Aaron Finch (c), Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, D Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa

**South Africa:**Faf du Plessis (c), Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock, Imran Tahir, Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Chris Morris, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn, Reeza Hendricks