Sophia Gardens Cardiff pitch report 2nd T20I: The SportsRush brings you the pitch report of the 2nd T20I between England and South Africa.
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Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens will host the 2nd match of the 3-match T20I series between England and South Africa. England won the first T20I easily, and they would aim to win the series, whereas the South African side would want to level the series.
Jonny Bairstow has been in excellent form this season, whereas Moeen Ali also proved his class in the last match. For South Africa, the form of Tristan Stubbs was a great thing, but the rest of the batters need to step up. Looking at both teams, this match can be a close affair.
Also Read: Weather Report of Cardiff
Sophia Gardens Cardiff pitch report 2nd T20I
The pitch at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff is not a track where the batters have loved playing. Cardiff is a track where the pacers have always got some bit their bit of help. In the initial overs of the match, the pacers will definitely get some advantage as they will be able to swing the ball.
The new set of white Kookaburra balls have been swinging a lot in England, and the pacers will definitely have an edge in this match. There is an extra bounce on the track, and the pacers can take advantage of the same. In the middle-overs, the spinners can take advantage of the big mid-wicket boundary.
“You cannot do that… man in the crowd!” 😱 👏 pic.twitter.com/nf6enRfCEb
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 28, 2022
A total of 8 T20Is have been played at this very ground, where the chasing teams have won 6 of those games. The average 1st innings score in these games has been 142 runs. It is clear that the bowlers have got some bit of help at this ground. In T20 domestic, the average 1st innings score has been 154 runs.
The last T20I here was played between England and Sri Lanka in 2021, where England won the match by 5 wickets. Sri Lanka could just score 111 runs in their innings. Looking at the overcast conditions, both teams would want to bowl first after winning the toss.