AB De Villiers
AB de Villiers has had a quiet tournament so far Getty

South Africa take on Australia in the third and final T20 International (T20I) on 9 March (Wednesday) at Newlands, Cape Town. The series is tied at 1-1.

Where to watch live

The match starts at 4pm GMT. Live coverage of the game in the UK is available on Sky Sports 3 and Sky Sports 3 HD. Click here for the live streaming link.

Overview

South Africa take on Australia in what is a series decider on 9 March at Newlands, Cape Town. The hosts come into this game on the back of a five-wicket loss in a thriller of a contest in Johannesburg on 6 March.

Despite the loss, the Proteas had a lot to be happy about, in particular the form of skipper Faf du Plessis. The captain has been in a terrific form, scoring 79 off just 41 balls, in what was his seventh half century as captain, the most by any player in T20 history. Quinton de Kock and David Miller too contributed, with de kock's contribution especially delighting the team management.

While the bowlers had an off day, something which is to be expected in the T20 format, the form of A.B. de Villiers would be of concern, with the right-handed batsman not looking comfortable in the opening role. With this being the last game before the team heads off to India for the World T20, the Proteas will look to play the same XI and give them some more match practice.

Their opponents, Australia, registered a much-needed victory on 6 March. In fact, the win was their first in six attempts in the T20 format. David Warner and Glenn Maxwell starred for the visitors putting on 161 runs for the fourth wicket, their highest in T20 for any wicket, showing just how much the Men In Yellow are dependent on them for quick runs.

Warner, who is an opener, seems to be enjoying playing in the middle order, which actually helps the team as they now have someone to guide them in the middle overs, something which they are lacking in.

The bowlers have had a tough series so far, with none of them succeeding in containing the batsmen. It will be interesting to see who they choose as their frontline bowlers for the World T20 with both Nathan Coulter-Nile and Josh Hazelwood in contention. Australia are expected to bring in Coulter-Nile in place of Hazelwood for this encounter.

Prediction

South Africa to win

Betting odds (betfair)

  • South Africa to win: 3/4
  • Australia to win: 1

Team news

South Africa

Possible XI: Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis (c), JP Duminy David Miler, Farhaan Behardien, Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada, David Wiese, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir

Australia

Possible XI: Aaron Finch, Shane Watson, Steven Smith (c), David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, James Faulkner, Peter Nevill, John Hastings, Nathan Coulter- Nile, Adam Zampa