England vs South Africa, 1st T20 Betting Preview, 10 September 2025
England and South Africa open their three-match T20 series on Wednesday the 10th of September at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff. The English aim to gain momentum in the short format following a mixed start to 2025, while South Africa also enters on the back of a tough run of recent form. This opening match is expected to set the tone for an entertaining series, and we look at the encounter from a betting perspective below.
The bookies have England as favourites to win the series at 1.53 with South Africa trading at 2.50
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ENGLAND
England come into this series after a challenging period earlier in the year, including a tough tour of India between January and February that saw them win only once in five T20 clashes. On the other hand, their recent home series against West Indies has restored confidence, with England edging all three matches by 21 runs, 4 wickets and 37 runs. Key contributions came from Jos Buttler and Ben Duckett with the bat, while the bowling unit, led by Luke Wood and Liam Dawson, showed the ability to strike at crucial moments.
Under captain Harry Brook, England field a side that once again blends experience and youthful talent. Players like Jos Buttler and Adil Rashid provide leadership and stability, while rising stars such as Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, and Phil Salt bring energy and big hitting ability. With depth in both batting and bowling, England will aim to start the series strongly on home soil and claim their revenge after their ODI series defeat a few days ago.
England T20 Squad: Harry Brook (c), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Jamie Smith, Luke Wood
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SOUTH AFRICA
South Africa travel to Cardiff following an inconsistent summer in T20 cricket, and their most recent action featured a narrow 2-1 series loss to Australia when they met in August. Prior to that they played in five fixtures across July, beating Zimbabwe twice by 5 and 7 wickets respectively, however, they lost all three games against New Zealand in this period, despite being competitive.
The Proteas’ batting is anchored by captain Aiden Markram and veteran David Miller, with youngsters Dewald Brevis and Tristan Stubbs offering explosive scoring potential. Their bowling attack features the pace of Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi, complemented by a spin option from Keshav Maharaj, giving them a well-rounded attack.
They have been finding a decent balance between experienced heads and emerging talents, which makes them a serious threat in this series. Consistency will be key, but they enter the opener with plenty of confidence after the series win over England in ODI format which featured many players in this lineup.
South Africa T20 Squad: Aiden Markram (c), Ryan Rickelton, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, David Miller, Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Senuran Muthusamy, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Kwena Maphaka, Lizaad Williams, Lungi Ngidi
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Recent T20 encounters between the two teams have favoured South Africa, who have won three of the last four matches, with England’s last triumph being in 2022. Since then, South Africa have claimed victory three times in a row with their latest match resulting in a narrow 7 run win when they met at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in June last year.
BETTING – click here to bet
England 1.60
South Africa 2.35
SUGGESTED BETS
Top England Batter – Jos Buttler at 2.80
Buttler’s ability to accelerate from the start makes him England’s prime scoring threat and based on his recent form in short format, I am expecting him to take full advantage of the powerplay overs.
Top South Africa Bowler – Kagiso Rabada at 2.55
Rabada’s pace and wicket taking ability with the new ball makes him South Africa’s key weapon and against England’s aggressive top order, he is likely to make an early impact, making him my pick to top the Proteas’ bowling figures.
Note: All odds are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change.
