Australia will square off against South Africa in the second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne, starting on Boxing Day, December 26. The hosts currently lead 1-0 in the three-match series, having won the first fixture at the Gabba in Brisbane.
Senior batter David Warner will play his 100th Test match as the Aussies have announced an unchanged playing XI. Josh Hazlewood is set to miss another Test as he continues his recovery from a side strain. The hero of last year’s Ashes, Scott Boland has retained his place in the XI with the local star hoping to continue his good form.
South Africa, on the other hand, played well in patches in the last game. However, they failed to cash onto clutch situations. Dean Elgar and Co. will hope his side bounce back and level the series in Melbourne.
Match Details
Details: Australia (AUS) vs South Africa (SA), 2nd Test
Date and Time: December 26, 2022, 5:00 am IST
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Pitch Report
Batters are likely to get a better wicket than what we saw at the Gabba. However, the bowlers are likely to dominate the second half of the Test match. Teams will prefer batting first upon winning the toss and putting up a sizeable total in the first innings.
Predicted Playing XIs
Australia (AUS): David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
South Africa (SA): Dean Elgar (c), Sarel Erwee, Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, Khaya Zondo, Kyle Verryenne (wk), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and Anrich Nortje.
Match Prediction
Australia managed to win crucial sessions to go 1-0 up in the series. Another enticing battle awaits fans and the hosts are likely to start as favourites and wrap up the series 2-0. However, Betway has placed its bet in favour of a draw at 7.00.
AUS vs SA – Fantasy Team Suggestions
Fantasy Team 1: Kyle Verreynne, Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Rassie van der Dussen, Sarel Erwee, Marco Jansen, Scott Boland, Pat Cummins (c), Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje (vc)
Fantasy Team 2: Kyle Verreynne, Steve Smith (c), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Rassie van der Dussen, Travis Head, Marco Jansen, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Kagiso Rabada (vc), Anrich Nortje
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