Ireland vs South Africa, 3rd T20I : Fantasy Preview

South Africa are not really a great T20 team, symbolized distinctly by the indifferent batting of their skipper Temba Bavuma, but with the series bagged 2-0, they will have a chance to focus more on the course correction. Beyond Quinton de Kock and to an extent, Aiden Markram, the Saffers have failed to inspire any confidence with the bat - which the Andy Balbirine-led side would want to explore.

Head to Head

Overall: Matches – 2 | Ire – 0 wins | SA – 0 wins

Ground Details and Team Combination

The Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont, Belfast has hosted 24 T20 games so far with the batting first team winning 7 games as compared to 15 by the team batting second. An average first innings score of 115/8 tells you the impact that the bowlers have had at the ground. The value is not so different in the T20Is either as only a run is taken off from the average first innings score in all games.

SUGGESTED TEAM

SUGGESTED CAPTAIN

Tabraiz Shamsi is the No.1-ranked bowler in the world and his performances in the last few games have absolutely been in line with that assertion. He has seven wickets to his name in the first two games of the series. In addition, he has 14 wickets in the last seven matches which makes him a prime candidate for the captain’s role. 

Our Criclytics player projections predict Shamsi to pick 2-3 wickets in the third T20I

X-FACTORS

Quinton de Kock’s last five T20I scores read something like this - 27,20, 60, 60, 72. He has been carrying the load of the side quite literally since the Windies series and in Belfast, his importance can’t be overstated. With two scores in the 20s, he is due for a big one in the next game and the visitors will be stoked for that.

Our Criclytics player projections predict de Kock to score 27-41 runs in the third T20I

In the last seven T20 games that Simi Singh participated in, he has 11 wickets to his name and two fifty-plus scores to boot. Keeping the form alive, a 100 in the recently-concluded ODI series would add to the appeal. Ireland will rely on him to get things done quickly as well as adding some important runs to the tally.

Our Criclytics player projections predict Simi Singh to score 0-7 runs and pick 0-1 wickets in the third T20I

Player Match-ups