The Test series went South Africa’s way while the ODIs ended 1-1. The caravan now moves to the T20 leg with the first match of the series being staged at Buffalo Park, in East London.

Overall, South Africa and England have met each other 15 times in the shortest format of the game. The hosts have the lead here having won eight encounters to South Africa’s six with one game getting washed out. In the last five matches though England have a 3-2 lead over the Proteas.

Ground details and team combination

Buffalo Park, in East London has hosted just one T20I since the start of January 2018 and the numbers there are in the bowler's favour. While batsmen have scored at an average of 17.9 runs per wicket at this venue, bowlers have managed a wicket every 14 balls. However, because the sample size is low, having as many all-rounders as possible should be the way to go here.

Diving into the different bowler types, leg-spinners have been the most effective here having picked a wicket every eight balls in T20Is since the start of 2018. England have two leggies in Matt Parkinson and Adil Rashid, and they could be considered. 

A combination of six frontline batsmen including the wicket-keeper, two all-rounders and three bowlers could be the way to go for this game.

Captain selection

Captaincy seems to have rubbed off well on Quinton de Kock. He was in impressive touch in the ODIs and will be hoping to leave a similar mark in the T20 series. De Kock has been one of South Africa’s batsmen across formats. His record in T20s over the last two years or so is also excellent. In seven innings since the start of 2019, de Kock has scored 

X-factors

The leading run-scorer across both sides since the start of 2018 in T20Is, Eoin Morgan will be keen on extending the run after a disappointing ODI series. The England captain has scored 426 runs in 16 innings averaging 35.5 since the start of 2018. What stands out is his impeccable strike-rate of 159.6. He is one player, who if he gets stuck, can get you’re a lot of points. 

Our second X-factor, Jason Roy showed glimpses of form in the ODI series and will be eager to prove a point coming into the T20 series. The major reason why you should pick Roy in your side is his availability for the full 20 overs. Opening the batting, Roy, in case he gets in is one player who can single-handedly take the game away from the opposition and that is what he will try come Wednesday.

As we discussed, all-rounders are an absolute necessity in the shortest format of the game and Andile Phehlukwayo is one such player who can turn out to be the x-factor for South Africa and your side. He is an underrated cricketer and sometimes teams may take him lightly. But his numbers have been consistent. In seven matches since the start of 2019, he has returned 13 wickets striking every 12 balls and has performed well with the bat whenever given a chance. 

Weather

It is expected to be cloudy for the first T20I between South Africa and England, in East London. There is a 10 percent chance of rain but nothing major that should affect the eventual outcome of the game. The temperature is expected to hover around the 20-28 degree range on average. 

Team:

Quinton de Kock (c & w/k), Jason Roy (vc), Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Eoin Morgan, Ben Stokes, Sam Curran, Andile Phehlukwayo, Chris Jordan, Beuran Hendricks, Adil Rashid