Richard Mann previews Wednesday evening's first T20I between England and South Africa which will take place in Cardiff.
Cricket betting tips: England v South Africa
2pts Jos Buttler top England batsman at 3/1 (bet365)
2pts Dewald Brevis top South Africa batsman at 11/2 (General)
The form of JOS BUTTLER has been one of the highlights of the summer, and he can take centre stage in the first T20I between England and South Africa on Wednesday.
Free from the burden of captaincy, Buttler looked much more like his old self when enjoying a fruitful IPL, and carried that form over when returning home, firstly in the T20 Blast and then more recently in The Hundred, where he scored 283 runs at an average of 40.42. In eight matches in that tournament, Buttler passed fifty on three occasions.
And he looked in sublime touch in last week’s ODI series against the Proteas, scores of 15, 61 and 62 not out showcasing all the flair and power that has made Buttler England’s best white-ball batsman ever.
He’ll slot back into the number three spot in this format, and with Ben Duckett rested for this series, Buttler does make solid appeal in the TOP ENGLAND BATSMAN market at 3/1.
It’s a market Buttler has dominated in recent years, and with his record against South Africa generally very good, he’s clearly the man to beat.
At a bigger price (11/2), I’m very keen to stick with DEWALD BREVIS to be top SOUTH AFRICA BATSMAN.
From an early age, Brevis was identified as the next batting sensation of South African cricket, and inevitable comparisons with AB de Villiers have long been drawn, though it didn’t happen for him immediately.
THREE NO-LOOK SIXES IN A ROW FROM DEWALD BREVIS!@BKTtires | #PlayoftheDay | #AUSvSA pic.twitter.com/2w1BpmQR8T
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) August 16, 2025
However, over the last 12 months things have really taken off, a late call-up to this year’s IPL followed by a series of stunning performances from Brevis who, to a large extent, completely transformed Chennai Super Kings.
International recognition followed, and he took the recent tour of Australia by storm, blasting a breathtaking, unbeaten 125 in a T20I in Darwin and backing that up with a half-century in the following match.
Brevis played more of a supporting role in last week’s ODI series, but he still smoked a 20-ball 42 at Lord’s to announce himself on these shores.
Switching to this format, Brevis is expected to move back to number four in the away batting order, a position from which he can impact the game more significantly, and I’d expect him to quickly prove the star turn for the visitors.
Preview published at 1235 BST on 08/09/25
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