AUS vs RSA Champions Trophy 2025: Dream 11 team prediction, best player picks and captaincy choices
The seventh match of the ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 will witness Cricket heavyweights Australia (AUS) and South Africa (RSA) taking on each other at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, 25th of February.
This match will be important for both teams as the winner will get the golden opportunity to seal their spot in the semi-final phase of the eight-team tournament. The Aussies won their opening encounter versus Ashes Rivals England by a margin of five wickets thanks to the magnificent century of Josh Inglis.
The South Africans, on the other hand, also have the winning momentum available with them as they are also going to enter this match on the back of a strong opening match victory versus Afghanistan by 107 runs as wicketkeeper batter Ryan Rickelton slammed a hundred. Captain Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markram, and Rassie van der Dussen also smashed fifties in that very game.
Both the teams are in good form heading into this forthcoming encounter and it will surely be a great contest between the two heavyweights. The two teams have played 110 ODI games versus each other and the Proteas have the advantage over the Kangaroos as they have gone on to secure victories on 55 occasions while the Aussies have triumphed in 51 games. One game between the two teams ended in a no-result situation, while three games ended in a tie.
With both sides eager to secure their Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final berths, let's take a look at the best Dream 11 teams, hot picks and captaincy choices for this breathtaking contest.
Pitch Report & Weather Forecast
The pitch of the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium generally offers excellent batting conditions where the batters are given the freedom to play their shots at will and exploit the conditions on offer. The seam bowlers will not get any kind of seam movement on this track. Unlike the surface of Lahore, where the fast bowlers get a resilient bounce, the pace & bounce in Rawalpindi are anticipated to be similar, which will help the batters in terms of stroke play.
The spinners, on the other hand, might be able to extract some turn from the pitch of this stadium but the pitch is unlikely to slow down as the game progresses. Since chasing down targets has become the norm in recent times, the toss-winning captain may choose to field first.
Talking about the weather forecast, The weather in the city of Rawalpindi is anticipated to be cloudy and cool on Tuesday, 25th of February. There's a 62% chance of rainfall on the match day and the humidity levels are anticipated to be around 74%. The temperatures are expected to hover between 11 degrees Celsius to 18 degrees Celsius.
Australia versus South Africa Champions Trophy: Probable Playing 11's of both teams
Australia's Probable Starting 11
1. Travis Head
2. Matthew Short
3. Marnus Labuschsgne
4. Steven Smith (Captain)
5. Alex Carey
6. Josh Inglis (WK)
7. Ben Dwarshuis
8. Glenn Maxwell
9. Spencer Johnson
10. Nathan Ellis
11. Adam Zampa
Recent form of Australia: It's difficult to draw too many conclusions from Australia's form, given that they overcame their recent two subpar performances in Sri Lanka by defeating England in a record run chase to start their tournament campaign. Their English opponents hammered 351/8 on Saturday, raising questions about whether this Australian bowling outfit can mount a strong defensive defense.
This Australian team definitely has less room for mistake without the main bowling trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, & Josh Hazelwood.
South Africa's Probable Starting 11
1. Tony de Zorzi
2. Temba Bavuma (Captain)
3. Ryan Rickelton (WK)
4. Aiden Markram
5. Rassie van der Dussen
6. Marco Jansen
7. David Miller
8. Wiaan Mulder
9. Keshav Maharaj
10. Lungisiani Ngidi
11. Kagiso Rabada
Recent form of South Africa: The recent ODI form of the Proteas has also been on & off, with their recent triumph over Afghanistan by a margin of 107 runs bringing an end to their six-match winless streak in the format, dating back to October of 2024 where they lost to Ireland.
But they will undoubtedly feel quite confident after their first-up showing in Pakistan. Four of their top six players turned starts into milestone knocks, with three reaching fifties and opener Ryan Rickelton scoring 103 runs off of 106 balls. All six players reached double digits.
HOT Picks for Australia vs South Africa Dream11 Grand League Team
Australia:
- Adam Zampa: Given the absence of Australia's main seam bowling trio of Starc Hazelwood & Cummins, leg spinner Adam Zampa will be the main man in the bowling unit versus the Proteas. He's the most experienced bowler in the squad and he's also a limited-overs specialist who approaches the game in an aggressive manner and picks up wickets regularly. Coming off on the back of a 2-64 in 10 overs outing versus the Three Lions, Zampa's contribution will prove to be crucial in his team's fierce contest versus the Proteas.
- Travis Head: The dangerous Travis Head can prove to be an important pick in the match versus the Proteas. He loves to play his shots freely and has scored a total of 2,663 runs in 70 matches in the 50-over format. While he wasn't able to do much with the bat versus the Three Lions, you don't wanna take the risk of omitting him from your dream 11 teams and his ability to roll his arm over with his part-time off-spin bowing can help you get some important fantasy points.
- Nathan Ellis: Right-arm seamer Nathan Ellis will be tasked with the duty of spearheading the Australian pace bowling unit and he will certainly play a key role with the ball versus the South Africans. His ability to deliver perfect bouncers and toe-crushing yorkers can prove to be problematic for the opposition batters and he can prove to be a good budget pick for your fantasy teams.
South Africa:
- Marco Jansen: Fast bowling All-Rounder Marco Jansen can prove to be an excellent choice for your Dream 11 teams. Being an all-rounder makes him a very good captaincy pick and his ability to pick up wickets at crucial moments in the game makes him very lethal. He was the leading wicket-taker in the recently concluded edition of the SA 20 and you surely won't want to make the mistake of not selecting him.
- Temba Bavuma: South Africa's Captain Temba Bavuma is in the form of his life. He has amassed a total of 1,733 runs in 46 games at an average of 44 and these stats show how special he is. He has scored fifties in back-to-back matches and an in-form Bavuma will be an amazing pick for your fantasy teams.
-Heinrich Klassen: Heinrich Klassen is an explosive batter and a tremendous player of spin. He will enjoy smashing the balls over the short boundaries of the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium and if he goes on to score a big score, he will end up providing you with a lot of valuable points.
Best Dream11 Team for Australia vs South Africa, Match No. 7
Wicketkeeper- Josh Inglis and Ryan Rickelton
Batters- Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, Travis Head and Steve Smith
All-Rounders- Aiden Markram, Glenn Maxwell, and Marco Jansen
Bowlers- Ben Dwarshuis and Kagiso Rabada
Australia vs South Africa Champions Trophy: Best Captain & Vice-Captain options
Temba Bavuma, Travis Head, Marco Jansen and Glenn Maxwell
Do Read: Pakistan eliminated from the Champions Trophy as New Zealand and India secure Semi Finals spot | Points Table
