Maxwell called up, South Africa target series win

Match facts

November 7, 2014, Melbourne
Start time 19:35 local, 08:35 GMT

Big Picture

There was a totality about South Africa's performance in the Twenty20 opener that would have left plenty of furrowed brows in the Australian dressing room. JP Duminy's side were superior in all respects, from more disciplined and focused bowling to batting that made the most of Adelaide Oval's dimensions and benefited greatly from one man - Rilee Rossouw - going on from a fast start to a substantial tally.

The Australian response to this unexpectedly heavy defeat has been to bolster the squad with Glenn Maxwell, just back from the UAE. While his uninhibited methods were the target for plenty of criticism after a pair of skittish Test innings in Abu Dhabi, Maxwell's energy and impudence may be the extra ingredient the hosts require, balanced against the batting skills of Aaron Finch and Shane Watson.

A Friday night fixture at the MCG is likely to draw the biggest crowd of the Australian season before Boxing Day, a useful stage for many young players to get used to the idea of performing in front of more than 60,000 spectators. After all, the season's end will bring a World Cup final at the same venue in front of an even larger crowd, and who's to say which men from either team won't make it that far?

Form guide

Australia LWWLL
South Africa WLWWW

In the spotlight

Not only was he nearly scorched by a flame thrower at Adelaide Oval, but Aaron Finch has also suffered a slight downturn in form coinciding with his inheritance of the Twenty20 captaincy. Since he made 54 against South Africa in the Zimbabwe triangular series final, Finch's scores across all formats for Australia and Victoria read 5, 0, 14, 18, 32, 4 and 14. He struggled for timing in game one, and certainly did not look the same man who blazed 156 against England at the Rose Bowl in August last year. A return to his best would go a long way to helping Australia level the series.

Lacking Dale Steyn's box office appeal, Kyle Abbott proved himself an exceptionally steady hand to lead South Africa's attack in Adelaide, and figures of 3 for 21 really should have been rewarded with the match award, despite Rilee Rossouw's clean hitting. Abbott and the rest of South Africa's bowlers made good use of Adelaide's dimensions, not allowing Australia too much in the way of short deliveries to hit square, meaning they had to challenge the longer straight boundaries. Melbourne's shape will require different lines, and it will be up to Abbott to lead the adjustment.

Team news

Glenn Maxwell has been rushed back into the team despite having just returned from the UAE, while Nic Maddinson and Sean Abbott will both be eager for an opportunity after sitting out the Adelaide loss.

Australia (possible): 1 Aaron Finch (capt), 2 Cameron White, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Ben Dunk (wk), 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 James Faulkner, 7 Sean Abbott, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Kane Richardson, 10 Cameron Boyce, 11 Doug Bollinger

Marchant de Lange may come into the side in place of Kagiso Rabada but otherwise the tourists are likely to maintain faith in a winning combination.

South Africa (possible): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Reeza Hendricks, 3 Rilee Rossouw, 4 JP Duminy (capt), 5 David Miller, 6 Farhaan Behardien, 7 Ryan McLaren, 8 Imran Tahir, 9 Wayne Parnell, 10 Kyle Abbott, 11 Marchant de Lange

Stats and trivia

• South Africa's only previous Twenty20 visit to the MCG resulted in a 52-run defeat, memorable for David Warner's 89 in 43 balls on his international debut.

• The Adelaide victory was South Africa's first in a T20I in Australia, meaning another at the MCG would deliver the tourists' first series win in the format down under.

Quotes

"He hit the ball in the middle of the bat, played the way that we know he can play - took the game on. It was just unlucky that we didn't have somebody through that middle part (of the innings) that could go with him and take it to the opposition."
Australia's captain Aaron Finch hopes Shane Watson can be better supported with the bat in Melbourne

"We've all had hard times, especially at this level and it's tough to get yourself up when things are tough for you. So it was exceptional to see the freedom he played with. We spoke about somebody getting a 75 for us and he was the man."
South Africa's captain JP Duminy admired Rilee Rossouw's T20I debut