County Ground Bristol pitch report 1st T20I: The first of the three-match T20I series between South Africa and England starts tomorrow.
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After some riveting action during the first two ODIs, the final ODI between South Africa and England at Leeds had to be unfortunately called-off due to rain, with the series ending in a stalemate.
The Proteas now gear themselves up for some promising high-octane T20Is, with the first of the three-match series set to take place at the County Ground in Bristol today.
South Africa would be led by their experienced campaigner in David Miller, with their regular skipper Temba Bavuma ruled out due to injury. Eyes would also be on Rilee Rossouw, who is likely to feature in the playing XI tomorrow, after tasting decent success during the various T20 leagues around the world including the PSL, BPL, and most recently the T20 Blast, where he finished as the second-highest run-scorer in the season.
As for England, their new skipper Jos Buttler has faced back to back home ODI and T20I series defeats against India, followed by a draw against South Africa a couple of days ago. Having won the last three series against the Proteas in the format, he would like to continue with the streak and register a maiden series victory under his full-time leadership.
Training was a lot of fun today 🏏
Go behind the scenes and take a closer look 👇
🏴 #ENGvSA 🇿🇦
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 26, 2022
County Ground Bristol pitch report 1st T20I
The venue is set to host only its fourth T20I tomorrow, with the last one having taken place in July 2018. As for this year’s recently concluded T20 Blast, the average first innings total at this venue sat at 171, which perhaps suggests that the batters are likely to enjoy their time out there in the middle today.
Moreover, the shorter square and straight boundaries at the County ground further aids the big hitters present in both the sides.
As for the bowlers, the pacers are likely to get some assistance with the new ball, but would have to make ample use of their variations while taking the pace off the ball during the latter half of the innings, to taste success at this venue.
All in all, expect a high-scoring clash between the two batting-heavy sides today at Bristol.
