The hosts find themselves staring at a humiliating whitewash against white-ball dominators, England as the action returns to Cape Town for the last match of the T20 series.
A total of 146 was never going to be enough against a world-class English batting side though the visitors experienced some jitters in their chase winning with just a ball to spare owing to Dawid Malan's 55 and Eoin Morgan's cameo of 26 at the end.
Team News
South Africa can remove out of form opener Temba Bavuma who failed in both the matches so far. He can be replaced by right-handed Janneman Malan instead. Lungi Ngidi who conceded 51 runs in the last game can be substituted with Andile Phehlukwayo or Junior Dala instead.
England may not make any changes as they look to carry forward their winning momentum and make it a perfect 3-0.
Pitch and Conditions
Any score above 180 would be considered par in the batting-friendly pitch at Newlands. Clear skies are expected with no signs of any disturbance to the game. The pacers of both sides can expect some initial movement and swing at the start of the innings.
Probable Playing XI
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (c & wk), Temba Bavuma/Janneman Malan, Faf du Plessis, Rassie van der Dussen, Heinrich Klaasen, Reeza Hendricks, George Linde, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi/Andile Phehlukwayo, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi
England: Jason Roy, Jos Buttler (wk), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Eoin Morgan (c), Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Jofra Archer, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid
Key Battles
Rassie van der Dussen vs Ben Stokes
Dussen could muster only 25 runs off 29 balls as he struggled to get going. The right-hander did not hit even a single boundary in his innings as he had an off day. He will look to play quickly in this match.
The world's best all-rounder at the moment has not set the stage on fire with his performances. He bowled 2 overs conceding 14 runs in the last game. Stokes got dismissed for 16 just when he was looking good. He will look to sign out of the tour on a high after being rested for the upcoming ODI series.
Dawid Malan vs Tabraiz Shamsi
Malan showed why he is the highest-ranked player in T20 cricket with a superb match-winning knock. He played the waiting game and choose to selectively target a few bowlers instead of striking every ball with full power.
On the other hand, Shamsi put the breaks on England's chase with three wickets for just 19 runs. The left-arm chinaman bowler has been so good in recent times as he has forced the team to omit the experienced Imran Tahir from the squad. His relentless accuracy along with his variations can outwit even the best hitters in the game. The tweaker can effectively cut the run flow.
Prediction
South Africa will aim to get one win to salvage some pride and redeem themselves while England will be strong favorites to continue their unbeaten run.
Cricwizz predicts England to win the match and clinch the series 3-0.
