England’s T20I series against South Africa begins on September 10 at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, a high-stakes encounter after the visitors clinched the ODI leg 2-1. England, led by Harry Brook, will seek to regain the upper hand in white-ball cricket at home and avenge their recent ODI loss. South Africa, captained by Aiden Markram, carry momentum and confidence from the one-day triumph, hoping to dominate in the shortest format. Both sides boast deep batting lineups and dynamic all-rounders, setting the stage for a gripping contest under the lights.

England’s XI features hard-hitting openers Phil Salt and Jos Buttler, and the hosts will rely on all-rounders like Jamie Overton and versatile spinners such as Liam Dawson and Adil Rashid. South Africa will counter with Markram, Dewald Brevis, and David Miller, alongside a stellar pace arsenal featuring Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi. The Proteas’ blend of explosive batters and raw pace could threaten England’s home advantage. With questions around selection, fitness, and the road to the T20 World Cup, both teams are eager to make a statement in the series opener.

ENG vs SA, 1st T20I: Match Details

• Date and Time: September 10, 11:00 pm IST / 05:30 pm GMT / 06:30 pm local
• Venue: Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

ENG vs SA Head-to-Head in T20Is:

Matches Played: 26 | England won: 12 | South Africa won: 13 | No results: 1

Sophia Gardens Pitch Report:

Sophia Gardens is renowned for its batting-friendly surface, producing several high-scoring T20 matches. The pitch provides true bounce early but slows as the game progresses, bringing spinners into play and making batting tougher in the second half. Captains prefer to set totals here, and par score trends around 190–200. Batters who time the ball well will be rewarded, but spinners could play a key role as the pitch wears down.

Squads:

England: Harry Brook (c), Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Rehan Ahmed, Phil Salt, Jamie Smith, Luke Wood

South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Lizaad Williams

Also READ: Top 5 lowest team totals for South Africa in ODIs

ENG vs SA, Today’s Match Prediction:

Case 1:

• South Africa wins the toss and bats first
• SA powerplay score: 45–50
• SA overall score: 175–185

Case 2:

• England wins the toss and bats first
• ENG powerplay score: 55–60
• ENG overall score: 190–200

Match result: Team batting first to win the contest.

Also READ: Top 5 largest win margins in ODI history ft. England