The pitch in Sharjah has been a sporting one thus far in the T20 tournament. The batters have got runs, but the bowlers, especially the spinners, have extracted a lot from the surface. Batting second should be the preferred option for the teams.
Average first innings score: 145
Head-to-head
Overall
Matches- 21, England – 11, South Africa– 9, N/R- 1
In T20 World Cups
Matches- 5, England – 2, South Africa– 3, N/R- 0
STATS - T20
Total matches: 23
Matches won batting first: 14
Matches won bowling first: 9
Average 1st Inns scores: 147
Average 2nd Inns scores: 123
Highest total recorded: 215/6 (20 Ov) by AFG vs ZIM
Lowest total recorded: 44/10 (10 Ov) by NED vs SL
Highest score chased: 172/5 (18.5 Ov) by SL vs BAN
Lowest score defended: 142/7 (20 Ov) by WI vs BAN
Squads:
South Africa Squad: Quinton de Kock(w), Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma(c), Aiden Markram, David Miller, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi, Heinrich Klaasen, Bjorn Fortuin, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi
England Squad: Jason Roy, Jos Buttler(w), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan(c), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Tom Curran, Reece Topley, Sam Billings, David Willey