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

Old rivals Australia and South Africa will kick off the Super 12 round of the T20 World Cup 2021 on Saturday. They will face off in a Group 1 clash at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Australia have usually been favorites when the sides have met, particularly in ICC events. However, South Africa will be hoping to turn over a new leaf when they come face-to-face against their nemesis in the latest meeting. Australia’s poor run heading into the T20 World Cup 2021 and the Proteas' own impressive form will give South Africa some amount of confidence.

Australia will go into Saturday’s match following a not-so-impressive showing in the warm-ups. They scratched to a three-wicket victory over New Zealand before being pounded by eight wickets by India. South Africa were a lot more convincing. They eased past Afghanistan by 41 runs and trounced Pakistan by six wickets.

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Australia vs South Africa: 3 bowlers to watch out for

Quite a few impressive bowlers from both sides will be keen to display their talent in Match 13 of the T20 World Cup 2021. We look at three players who could end up claiming the most wickets in the game.

#3 Ashton Agar

Australia’s left-arm spinner Ashton Agar. Pic: Getty Images

There was a time when Ashton Agar’s claim to fame was scoring 98 on Test debut while batting at No. 11. That extraordinary performance came back in 2013. Unfortunately, his Test career never took off. Lately, the left-arm spinner has transformed himself into a match-winning bowler for Australia in the T20I format.

On slow and low pitches in the UAE, he can be quite a handful, especially against a team like South Africa, whose batters have traditionally not been very fond of the spinning ball. The 28-year-old did a reasonable job in the warm-up games. He cleaned up Glenn Phillips in the match against New Zealand and dismissed a well-set KL Rahul against India.

Agar’s T20I numbers for Australia are rather impressive. In 39 matches, he has claimed 42 wickets at a strike rate of 19.20 and an excellent economy of 6.74.

Agar, in fact, holds the record for the best bowling figures for his country in the format. He claimed 6/30 against New Zealand in Wellington in March this year, breaking his own record - 5/24 vs South Africa (Johannesburg 2020).

The numbers say a lot about how dangerous the left-arm spinner can be in the format.

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#2 Tabraiz Shamsi

South African left-arm spinner Tabraiz Shamsi. Pic: Getty Images

If Australia have Agar, South Africa have their very own quality left-arm spinner in Tabraiz Shamsi. The 31-year-old has impressed most critics with his skills, making him a bowler to watch out for at the T20 World Cup 2021. There were some concerns over his fitness heading into the Australia encounter but he has been cleared to play.

Shamsi was impressive against Afghanistan with figures of 3 for 18 but a bigger test of his talent was to come against Pakistan. It wasn’t to be though as he could only bowl four balls in the second warm-up game. Like South Africa, Australia too aren’t great against spin and the Proteas would be hopeful of Shamsi exploiting the perceived weakness.

The 31-year-old will go into Saturday’s battle against Australia needing just one scalp to complete 50 wickets in the T20I format. Shamsi has played 42 matches for South Africa and has 49 wickets at a strike rate of 19.10 and an economy rate of 6.79. He could be a possible X-factor for the Proteas at the T20 World Cup 2021.

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#1 Mitchell Starc

Australia will be hoping for some match-winning efforts from Mitchell Starc. Pic: Getty Images

Australian left-arm seamer Mitchell Starc is unarguably among the most talented bowlers in international cricket irrespective of the format. On his day, he is capable of blowing away the best of opponents. As the Aussies seek a flying start to their T20 World Cup 2021 campaign, they will be looking for something special from Starc.

Unlike some of the other big names from Australia, the 31-year-old was part of the team that was hammered 1-4 in the T20Is in both West Indies and Bangladesh. However, speaking ahead of the T20 World Cup, Starc claimed that the past results won’t have any impact on their performance in the ICC event. The experienced pacer will have to walk the talk and prove that the Aussies can compete even when the conditions are not in their favor.

Starc produced reasonably good performances in Australia’s two warm-up matches. He finished with 1 for 30 from four overs against the Kiwis, trapping Devon Conway lbw. He bowled two overs for 14 in the loss against India. Australia have always viewed Starc as someone who has raised his game on the big stage. Saturday will be one such occasion.