Australia vs. South Africa 2nd T20: Date, Live Stream, TV Info, Preview

Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground

Commences: Friday, Nov. 8

Start time: 08:35 a.m. GMT and 07:05 p.m. local

Live on: SuperSport (South Africa), Channel 9 (Australia), SkySports (UK), Willow TV (USA and Canada) and Star Sports (India)

Weather: AccuWeather.com predicts a hot day with temperatures cooling to around 19 degrees Celsius in the evening. There's no chance of rain, so the game should go on uninterrupted.

Overview

Despite fielding a relatively inexperienced team, South Africa claimed a comfortable seven-wicket win in the first T20 against Australia on Wednesday.

Reeza Hendricks, Rilee Rossouw and Kagiso Rabada all made their debuts for their country, and Rossouw was the star of the bunch. He hit 78 off 50 to help South Africa chase down 145 with relative ease.

Also impressive was the bowling of Kyle Abbott and Wayne Parnell, with both being solid at the death. For Australia, Shane Watson and James Faulkner contributed with the ball, but the bowling let them down on a flat track.

After the win, South African captain JP Duminy told the press that the win was all down to executing plans and assessing the conditions.

"We used the dimensions of the ground very well," he said. "The boundaries are very long and straight, so getting the ball in the block hole was key. We spoke about doing that from the 13th over. Coupled with our execution we fielded really well today. We were on the button throughout the 20 overs."

The two teams will now head to Melbourne, and Duminy admitted there could be a few tweaks to how they approach the match. 

"It could be different come the MCG, because there it is a lot shorter straight, obviously the bigger boundaries are square," Duminy said. "We are just going to have to assess conditions really on Friday. It always comes down to plans and executions, and sticking to those plans was great to see, especially from over 13."

The hosts have added all-rounder Glenn Maxwell to their T20 squad, following his return from the UAE.  He will add experience and stability to the middle order and offer an extra bowling option. Duminy believed that the Aussies would bounce back.

"Australia will always bounce back," he said. "For me it’s about consistency in our execution, if we put in a performance like we did today, with bat, ball and in the field, we give ourselves a good chance come Friday."

It’s unlikely that there will be further big changes for South Africa. Consistency in selection is something that has become a hallmark of the team, and they are unlikely to tamper too much with a winning formula. Building towards the future is something else South Africa pride themselves on, and the current crop of players all form part of future plans.

Temptation might be there to mix up the bowling a bit with the one possible change being Rabada making way for Marchant de Lange. However, South Africa could focus on winning the series first before making any tweaks.

Key players

Australia

Shane Watson was the pick of the batsmen and as one of the most experienced players in the team, Australia will expect him to pick up where he left off in the second T20.

South Africa

Captain JP Duminy didn't do much with the bat in the first match, but he was very tidy with the ball. His economy rate of 4.00 was the best of the match and as South Africa's go-to all-rounder, high hopes are pinned on him.

Squads

Australia: Aaron Finch (c), Ben Dunk (w), Nic Maddinson, Cameron White, Shane Watson, Nathan Reardon, James Faulkner, Ben Cutting, Sean Abbott, Cameron Boyce, Doug Bollinger, Pat Cummins, Kane Richardson, Glenn Maxwell.

South Africa: Quinton de Kock (w), Reeza Hendricks, Rilee Rossouw, Jean-Paul Duminy (c), David Miller, Farhaan Behardien, Ryan McLaren, Robin Peterson, Wayne Parnell, Kyle Abbott, Kagiso Rabada, David Wiese, Imran Tahir, Marchant de Lange.

All quotes obtained firsthand.