South Africa vs. England T20 1 of 3: Can ‘visitors get off to perfect start’ with a victory?

England’s tour of South Africa continues when the two sides meet on Wednesday for the first of three T20 matches.

The series comes off the back of an ODI series between the pair. And that was drawn after South Africa went 1-0 up before rain meant no result in the second game.

But England then picked up a victory of their own in the final game to level the series 1-1. Therefore, all attention will now focus on the switch to the T20 format. 

The away side will certainly be full of confidence heading into the game. They currently sit third in the T20 world rankings, with their opponents behind them in fifth.

London, United Kingdom – June 26, 2016: The Victorian-era Pavilion at Lords Cricket Ground which is also referred as the home of cricket in London, England.

England can be backed at 4/6 to get the series off to the perfect start with a win at Buffalo Park. The hosts are available at 6/5.

There will be several batsmen out to impress from the very start for the visitors. And Dawid Malan is one of those batsmen. He sits fifth in the T20 batting world rankings, and is currently 9/2 to be his side’s top scorer on Wednesday.

His team-mates Jos Buttler and Joe Denly are also currently 9/2 to top score for England. Also in contention are Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow at 11/4.

It’s currently 4/1 for Tom Banton to be England’s best batsman on the day.

For the home side, it’s Quinton de Kock at 23/10 who is favourite to top score with the bat. Reeza Hendricks is 7/2, with Rassie van der Dussen available at 4/1.

Both Temba Bavuma and JJ Smuts are currently 9/2, with David Miller available at 11/2.

With the ball, South Africa’s Andile Phehlukwayo finds himself sixth in the current T20 bowling world rankings. He’s been given odds of 9/2 to be his side’s top bowler in game one.

Also looking to impress with their bowling figures are Dale Steyn and Tabraiz Shamsi. They are both currently 3/1 to be South Africa’s best bowler on the day.

Both Beuran Hendricks and Lungi Ngidi are available at 10/3.

Also in the top ten bowling rankings are England’s Adil Rashid and Chris Jordan. They are available at 7/2 and 10/3 respectively to be the top wicket taker for the away side.

Tom Curran is currently 10/3, with Mark Wood available at 7/2. 

The hosts are 7/5 to score the most sixes, and 10/11 to have the top batsman throughout the day. England are currently 5/6 and 8/11 respectively.

And it’s currently 5/6 for 11.5+ sixes to be scored in total.

Kingsmead in Durban plays host to the second T20 on Friday, with the third and final game set to be staged at the SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium on Sunday.