The T20 series of 2022

T20 World Cup 2022: Ultimate Match Guide - South Africa vs Zimbabwe

Oct. 24, 2022

Bellerive Oval, Hobart - Venue Notes

alt Hobart Boundary Hobart has one shorter and one longer side, so expect a lot of bowling team’s strategies to revolve around that. Although it is irrelevant in this game, in a match between equals, the side that defends the shorter side the best is likely to win. The venue is usually one of the highest-scoring in the BBL, due primarily to one of the short squares and how true the deck is for batters in general. D'Arcy Short was signed by the Rajasthan Royals based on his performance against spin bowlers here, only for the team to learn the hard way that cricket is a conditions-driven game. As far as this World Cup is concerned, pace bowlers continue to dominate, but spinners have thrived as well for a change, with Mark Watt, Sikandar Raza, Gareth Delany, and Michael Leask all in the top ten wicket-takers list. Not only has the quartet taken wickets, but it has also been economical. alt Hobart As evidenced by the average RPB and average wickets lost stats in the table, the venue is typically a difficult place for openers to start. However as the innings progresses, batters find it much easier to take on the bowlers. How to make use of this in a fantasy setting
  • Prefer pacers over spinners
  • Avoid going all in on openers and spread out your safety nets in the middle order.

South Africa - Team Notes

Predicted Playing XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Rilee Rossouw, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Wayne Parnell, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Radaba, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi Batting Options: 7 (Main – 6; Support – 1) Opening Pair: RHB-LHB
  • Fantasy Opportunity Alert: Temba Bavuma is out of form, but if South Africa bats second, there is a lot of value in getting him in your XI, as he is currently in only 8% of teams. We don't think it will change much, and with Zimbabwe likely to be dismissed for a low score, the South African captain will be able to chase it down at his own pace without taking any risks. He will also most likely use this game to regain his form.
alt Squad team notes Middle Order: 2 LHB options in No3-No.5
  • Fantasy Opportunity Alert: Wessly Madhevere's offspin bowling ability could come into play. With Quinton de Kock on top of Rilee Rossouw and David Miller, Zimbabwe will struggle to get the full quota of overs out of Sean Williams, who is usually one of their go-to bowlers in the middle overs. This boosts Madhevere's fantasy value in this game.
Lower Middle Order: Even though Miller bats at No.5, he could be a good fantasy option if SA bats first; however, if SA bats second, we don't see him getting much game time, as the top four are likely to chase down the target on their own.
  • Fantasy Opportunity Alert: If SA bowl first, you need not pick David Miller.
Bowling Options: 7 (Main – 5, Support – 2) There has been much speculation that South Africa will use four pace bowlers, with Lungi Ngidi replacing Tabraiz Shamsi. Shamsi has played the most T20Is for South Africa since 2021, and wrist spin is one of the most important components of a bowling attack regardless of venue or opposition, so dropping Shamsi for a pace bowler who isn't even in form makes no sense. If anything, Maharaj's spot is under threat, given that he is a finger spinner and most teams have several left-handers in their top six. However, in this situation, it appears that he is viewed as one of the group's leaders, and thus he is also likely to start. alt Bowling Squad In Form: Quinton de Kock, David Miller Out of Form: Temba Bavuma Big Names on the bench: Heinrich Klassen, Lungi Ngidi

Zimbabwe - Team Notes

Predicted Playing XI: Regis Chakabva (wk), Craig Ervine (c), Wessly Madhevere, Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, Milton Shumba, Ryan Burl, Luke Jongwe, Richard Ngarava, Tendai Chatara, Blessing Muzarabani Batting unit makeup: 4 left-handers in the top 7
  • Fantasy Opportunity Alert: Aiden Markram's bowling value could come into play heavily, as he is South Africa’s first choice off-spin option. If South Africa bats first, this makes him one of the best differential captaincy options. However, if South Africa bowls first, there is a good chance that the top three will catch the majority of the runs scored by Zimbabwe, which will hurt his fantasy potential.
  • All of Zimbabwe's left-handers are excellent hitters of slow left-arm orthodox spin, which will have a direct impact on Keshav Maharaj's fantasy value in the game. There is a catch, though: smaller teams can implode at any time and against anyone.
alt Zim team notes Bowling Options: 7 (Main – 6, Support – 1) Zimbabwe's XI has so many bowling options that they haven't needed Luke Jongwe or Ryan Burl to bowl more than 5 overs in the entire tournament. In Form: Sikandar Raza, Richard Ngarava Out of Form: Regis Chakabva, Luke Jongwe Big Names on the bench: Wellington Masakadza

Fantasy XI Builder

If SA bowl first: K Radaba (vc), A Nortje, W Parnell, Q de Kock (c), R Rossouw, T Bavuma, T Shamsi, S Raza, S Williams, R Burl, C Ervine If SA bat first: K Radaba (vc), A Nortje, W Parnell, Q de Kock (c), R Rossouw, A Markram, D Miller, S Raza, S Williams, B Muzarabani, C Ervine Top Differentials: T Bavuma (8%), Tabraiz Shamsi (21%), Wayne Parnell 37% Top Captaincy Options: Quinton de Kock, Kagiso Rabada, Aiden Markram Differential Captaincy Options: Wayne Parnell, Tabraiz Shamsi, Temba Bavuma, Rilee Rossouw Predictions Quinton de Kock - Player Performance Points: Over 40.5