AUS vs RSA Team Previews

Australia

Rewind two years and no one would have imagined Australia being in the position they're currently in, in the ongoing tournament. They've played fantastic cricket in all departments of the game and have appeared to be the most balanced and complete team of the competition.

David Warner and Aaron Finch have scored truckloads of runs in the tournament so far which has arguably the main reason for Australia's dominant performance in the competition. They both have looked to stay at the wicket and negotiate the moving ball in the first few overs and then launch an assault after the ball gets a little older.

The likes of Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, and Alex Carey have also chipped in when presented with an opportunity which has given their management plenty of confidence. While their batting has done pretty well throughout the tournament, it's been their bowling which has set up most of the matches for them.

Mitchell Starc has been the leading wicket-taker in the tournament, with 24 wickets to his name until now, and is in the race to earn the player of the tournament title along with Rohit Sharma and Shakib Al Hasan. Pat Cummins and Jason Behrendorff have played the supporting role exceedingly well as they both have been instrumental in drying up runs at one end whenever required.

With eight matches gone in the tournament, it's been only once that Australia have ended up second-best which was against India. Considering the top of the table position is at stake in this encounter, the Aussies are expected to come out all guns blazing, and if they're able to put up a performance similar to what they've done in the tournament thus far, it should be an easy win for them.

South Africa

With a nine-wicket win in their previous encounter, against Sri Lanka, South Africa regained a tinge of pride and will be looking to continue to build on the momentum. However, considering the form this Aussie lineup is in, the Proteas would have to improve in a lot of areas to deny the current table toppers finishing at the top as well.

It's been a remarkably poor tournament for the Proteas. They've been haunted by stories on and off the field with AB de Villiers' offer to return right before the tournament being the most prominent one. While it's hard to say whether that story has had any impact on the performances of the players, the team has punched way below what they're capable of in the tournament so far.

Even though South Africa's bowling has done reasonably well in the tournament, there have been instances of Rabada looking a little fatigued. Chris Morris and Imran Tahir, on the other hand, have been exceptional with Morris often ending up with an economy on the higher side. The introduction of Dwaine Pretorius in the previous match was an inspirational change for the Proteas, which brought them a much-needed win.

Despite a couple of hiccups, their bowling has performed as per the expectations whereas their batting has failed to fire whenever it needed to be. Barring Faf du Plessis and Rassie van der Dussen, none of their batsmen has looked comfortable at the crease as the Proteas have failed to chase even the more manageable totals. Hashim Amla looked to be back in form with a gritty innings in the previous match and with Quinton de Kock not in a great touch; the onus will be on him to provide Proteas with a flying start.

All in all, South Africa are an evenly balanced side which looks as strong as any on paper. However, in the tournament until their last match, they've failed to replicate their prowess on the field resulting in the string of losses for them. With Hashim Amla back amongst the runs and du Plessis and van der Dussen in fine form, beating Proteas is not going to be a walk in the park even for the high flying Aussies.