The Proteas take on Australia in the first match on the T20I series on Wednesday morning at the Adelaide Oval.

Both squads are made up of a number of promising youngsters who will look to grab their chance on the big stage and impress their respective selection panels. South Africa will come into the match feeling slightly more pressure after losing their warmup game, but a stronger combination will do duty on Wednesday.

JP Duminy should have a lot more options at his disposal with the expected return of Marchant de Lange, David Wiese and Imran Tahir. They will have to be on the money, though, as Australia’s batting order features some fierce strikers of the cricket ball.

Aaron Finch leads the Australians and forms part of an ominous lineup, which includes Ben Dunk and fit again Shane Watson. They will also have the added motivation of restoring some pride in front of their home fans after the Test sides mauling at the hands of Pakistan.

Players to watch:

Aaron Finch is one of the most destructive T20 batsmen on the planet. If he gets on top of the South African attack, it will be a tough day at the office for new captain JP Duminy. For the Proteas, Imran Tahir has been a revelation in the shorter formats. His ability to keep it tight, while being a genuine wicket-taker could be the difference between the two sides.

Prediction:

Both squads contain players that could single-handedly swing the contest. Australia will be out to restore their wounded pride, and for that reason, I think their desperation will get them over the line.

Proteas T20 squad: JP Duminy (cpt), Kyle Abbott, Farhaan Behardien, Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock, Marchant de Lange, David Miller, Ryan McLaren, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, Imran Tahir, David Wiese.

Australia’s T20 squad: Aaron Finch (cpt), Sean Abbott, Doug Bollinger, Cameron Boyce, Pat Cummins, Ben Cutting, Ben Dunk, James Faulkner, Nic Maddinson, Nathan Reardon, Kane Richardson, Shane Watson, Cameron White.

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