Australia vs South Africa, T20 World Cup 2021: Who will score the most runs in today's match?

Australia will face South Africa in Match 13 of the T20 World Cup 2021 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. The game will be the first match of the Super 12 round and will kick off the Group 1 encounters.

The Aussies have dominated the Proteas over the years but this is not the same Australian unit we have witnessed in the past. The Kangaroos go in having suffered 1-4 losses during the T20I series’ in West Indies and Bangladesh.

The team can brush off the defeats, stating most of their key players skipped the twin tours. However, they were scratchy in the warm-ups as well. After an unconvincing three-wicket win over New Zealand, Australia succumbed to an eight-wicket defeat against India.

South Africa have been in impressive form of late in T20Is. They crushed Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka 3-0 last month. In the warm-ups, the Proteas won both their matches, beating Afghanistan by 41 runs and Pakistan by six wickets.

Australia vs South Africa: 3 batsmen to watch out for

A number of talented batters from the two sides will be on show during the T20 World Cup 2021 encounter on Saturday. Here’s a look at three players who could end up scoring the most number of runs.

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#3 Steve Smith

Steve Smith during the T20I series against India. Pic: Getty Images

Aussie run-machine Steve Smith will be pivotal to the team’s chances if they are to lift the T20 World Cup 2021. He did not have a great run in IPL 2021 for Delhi Capitals (DC) although it can be argued that the franchise did not give him enough chances.

Smith will go into the clash against the Proteas high on confidence, having done well in both the warm-up matches. His 35-ball was 30 was crucial in Australia chase’s of 159. He steadied the ship after the team found themselves in a spot of bother at 66 for 3. Although Australia went down to India by eight wickets, Smith was again the top-scorer with a fluent 48-ball 57.

The former Aussie skipper hasn’t played a T20I for the country since December 2020 against India. In the three-match T20I series played at home, he registered scores of 12, 46 and 24. Smith was among those who skipped the twin tours of West Indies and Bangladesh. Still, he looks in good nick ahead of the contest against South Africa.

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#2 Rassie van der Dussen

Rassie van der Dussen during a T20I against England. Pic: Getty Images

Rassie van der Dussen clobbered a fantastic hundred in South Africa’s warm-up clash against Pakistan. He scored an unbeaten 101 off 51 balls, hammering 10 fours and four sixes. Thanks to Van der Dussen’s brilliant knock, the Proteas chased down a stiff target of 187 with six wickets in hand.

The fact that the South African batter was there at the end, guiding the team past the finish line, would have given him a lot of confidence heading into the main tournament. Also, Pakistan had a more than decent attack comprising the likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali and Imad Wasim.

32-year-old Van der Dussen has an impressive T20I record for South Africa. In 29 matches, he has scored 756 runs at a strike rate of 134.75. He smashed a scintillating 74 not out off only 32 balls in a T20I against England in Cape Town in December last year. Although South Africa lost the match, Van der Dussen’s big-hitting skills stood out. He could be a key member of the Proteas batting outfit at this year’s T20 World Cup.

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#1 Quinton de Kock

South African batter Quinton de Kock during the T20I series against Sri Lanka. Pic: Getty Images

South Africa’s experienced wicket-keeper batter Quinton de Kock has been marked out by many cricket pundits as the likely standout performer for the team. Considering there is some inexperience in the batting order, the Proteas could pretty much rise or sink depending on how De Kock performs.

The left-hander failed in both warm-up matches, scoring 7 against Afghanistan and 6 against Pakistan. However, being the senior pro in the batting order, he is expected to lift his game against Australia. Although he had an average IPL 2021 in the UAE, he was the player of the series during South Africa’s crushing 3-0 win in the T20I series in Sri Lanka. De Kock registered scores of 36, 58* and 59* in the three matches.

The 28-year-old has a terrific T20I record. In 57 matches for South Africa, he has cracked 1758 runs at a strike rate of 136.38 with 11 half-centuries. There will be high expectations from De Kock at the T20 World Cup 2021. The talented batter will be keen to kick off his campaign by stamping his class over the Aussies.