South Africa vs. Australia Prediction: Australia has done well despite their batting concerns at the top

South Africa will be facing off against Australia in the second game of the ODI Series being played at Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein. Australia has done well despite their batting concerns at the top. Can they have a great start to the game? Who will win this game?

Once again, South Africa's batting performance left much to be desired, as they continued to make simple errors and allow the Australian bowlers to dictate the proceedings. While Bavuma's impressive 114 runs saved the team from potential embarrassment, there is still substantial work to be done.

A glaring sign of their subpar batting was the mere 25 runs they managed in the Powerplay. Additionally, if you exclude Bavuma's contribution, the top six South African batsmen collectively scored just 52 runs. Jansen's 32 runs was the only other notable individual score, but they shouldn't have to heavily rely on him.

It's worth acknowledging that the South African bowlers started the game strongly, particularly in dismissing Warner for a duck and restricting Marsh to just 17 runs. Furthermore, the middle-order trio of Stoinis, Carey, and Inglis only managed to contribute a combined 21 runs.

However, it appeared that the South African bowlers lost their edge around the 25th over, with Labuschagne (substituting for Green after he retired hurt) amassing 80 runs, and Agar comfortably reaching 48. Rabada put in a decent performance with figures of 2/48, and Coetzee was steady with 2/44. Nevertheless, more was expected from Ngidi, who could only manage 1/42.

Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma (C), David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Sisanda Magala, Tabraiz Shamsi, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje

The most significant concern facing Australia is Cameron Green's availability for the second game. Following a helmet-clipping bouncer from Rabada that struck him, Green had to retire hurt with no runs to his name. Given concussion protocols, it seems unlikely that he will participate, but it's noteworthy that his replacement, Labuschagne, made a significant impact with a powerful 80-run performance. Labuschagne served as the 12th Man in the previous game but is highly likely to feature in Game 2.

Warner's performance was notably disappointing, as he was dismissed for a duck, a far cry from his usual average of 44.66 runs in ODI matches. The middle-order batting display was lackluster, and the outcome could have been different if not for Labuschagne and Agar guiding the team to victory.

Each Australian bowler managed to secure a wicket, underscoring the formidable nature of this bowling attack even in the absence of Cummins or Starc. Hazlewood delivered an impressive performance with figures of 3/41, but special attention should be given to Stoinis, who maintained an excellent economy rate of 3.33 after capturing 2/20.

David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (C), Marnus Labuschagne, Alex Carey (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa

The pitch offers opportunities for both batsmen and bowlers alike. During the initial overs, the fast bowlers enjoy significant movement, putting batters under constant pressure. However, as the match progresses, batting becomes more manageable at this venue. The outfield is quick, and the ground size is relatively smaller compared to other stadiums, enabling batsmen to frequently find the boundaries. While spinners typically come into play during the middle overs, fast bowlers remain the preferred choice. We expect Australia to win despite home advantage to South Africa.