IRE vs SA Dream11 Prediction: 3 Players you can pick as captain or vice-captain for today’s 1st T20I - August 3, 2022
Ireland and South Africa will lock horns in the first game of the two-match T20I series on August 3 at the County Ground in Bristol.
Both teams have been playing consistent cricket over the last couple of months. Ireland faced India and New Zealand and did well in both ODI and T20I formats, pushing the top teams to the brink only for the results to not show.
South Africa, on the other hand, drew the five-match T20I series against India and then won the T20I series against England, both away from home. They are in excellent form when it comes to the shortest format of the sport and will be highly confident coming into this series.
Ireland, meanwhile, will be looking to finally replicate some good cricket into a number of wins. They did brilliantly against India almost chasing down more than 220 runs before pushing New Zealand in each of the three-match ODI series.
Unfortunately, the Andrew Balbirnie-led side couldn’t register a single win and the T20I series against the Kiwis came as a harsh reality check for them.
The T20I series against South Africa gives them a great opportunity to show their skills yet again and would love to at least win a single game.
On that note, here are three players you can pick as captain and vice-captain for your Dream11 team for IRE vs SA 1st T20I:
3. Reeza Hendricks
South Africa opener Reeza Hendricks was in excellent form in the preceding T20I series against England. He opened the innings in all three matches of the series and scored 180 runs at an excellent average of 60.
He smashed runs at a brilliant strike rate of 156.52, hitting 21 fours and three sixes and will want to carry on in the same vein in the T20Is against Ireland. A lot will depend on what kind of a start he will provide to South Africa in this series.
2. Paul Stirling
Ireland opener Paul Stirling is a veteran when it comes to T20 cricket. He has played 107 matches in this format, scoring 2894 runs at a brilliant strike rate of 135. Ireland, more often than not, depends on him to take them over the line.
However, Stirling didn’t enjoy a great series against New Zealand scoring only 74 runs in three innings. He would love to improve on those numbers in this two-match series. It remains to be seen if the visitors will be able to nip him out early.
1. Rilee Rossouw
Rilee Rossouw, not long ago, was a T20 freelancer. However, he made a return to international cricket last month with the T20I series against England and has already showcased his class. The southpaw smashed 131 runs batting in the middle order during the three-match series and his strike rate of 170.13 blew England away.
Rossouw is a huge prospect for South Africa when it comes to the T20 World Cup later this year and the left-hander will have to keep his form going in almost every tour. The Ireland series provides a great opportunity for him to add more to his tally.