SA vs AUS Dream11 prediction: 3 differentials you could pick in today’s World Cup 2023 match – Nov 16, 2023

South Africa and Australia face off in the second semi-final of the 2023 Men's ODI World Cup on Thursday, November 16, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

The 2nd and 3rd-placed sides on the points table respectively, both South Africa and Australia finished the league stage with seven wins in nine games, with Australia comprehensively beaten by the Proteas in their head-to-head clash.

However, while the Aussies went on a seven-match winning streak post the defeat against South Africa, the Proteas did slip up a couple of times, including a shock defeat to the Netherlands, a thumping at the hands of India, and a couple of close shaves while chasing.

The two sides have played a lot of matches in the recent past, with the ODI series in South Africa a month before the World Cup likely to remain fresh in the minds of both sets of players.

The surface at the Eden Gardens is unlikely to give either side a real advantage heading into this match, although the toss will be crucial, especially because of how contrasting South Africa looks between batting and bowling first.

One can't shake off memories of the 1999 World Cup semi-final when thinking of this clash, and while South Africa will want to exorcize those ghosts, the five-time champions led by Pat Cummins will want to make it to yet another final. This should be a popular match on Dream11, and on that note, let's look at three Dream11 differentials to consider selecting for your teams.

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#3 Reeza Hendricks (SA)

South Africa will be sweating over the fitness of their skipper Temba Bavuma, who was struggling with a hamstring niggle in their last group-stage match against Afghanistan. If he's not fully fit ahead of this semi-final, Reeza Hendricks should step in to open alongside Quinton de Kock, with Aiden Markram taking the reins of the side.

This could actually be a blessing in disguise for the Proteas, with Hendricks impressing in the limited game-time he got at the World Cup. He played a quality knock of 85 against England after they lost an early wicket, and while he couldn't continue in the same vein in their next game against Bangladesh, he certainly looked much better than Bavuma has throughout this tournament.

If Hendricks features in South Africa's playing XI, he's definitely a quality differential one should consider picking in their respective teams.

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#2 Travis Head (AUS)

Travis Head has got out cheaply in the last three matches.

One wouldn't have expected a player like Travis Head to have a low enough ownership to be on a list of possible differentials, but that's what a string of low scores does to any batter.

After smashing a ton on his return to the side, Head struggled for form in the next three matches, scoring only 21 runs across those games. However, he's a quality ODI opener, capable of dismantling opposition attacks in the powerplay, and he'll be key to Australia negating the new ball threat that Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen pose.

He's also a bonafide spin-hitter and if he makes it past the powerplay stage, he will be crucial in negating the threat Keshav Maharaj and potentially Tabraiz Shamsi pose. With a sub-par ownership level for this match, those who punt on Head could well be rewarded with a big haul.

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#1 Mitchell Starc (AUS)

Mitchell Starc is a modern-day legend when it comes to Australian cricket and the ODI World Cup, but he hasn't had the tournament he would've wanted. The left-arm pacer has been able to pick up only ten wickets in eight matches and has been expensive, leaking runs at an economy rate of 6.55.

With this being the case, he got a much-needed rest in Australia's final group-stage match against Bangladesh. He should return to the playing XI for this match with more freshness and energy and should be a lethal weapon for Australia with both the new ball and at the death.

Starc is a genuine wicket-taker, and averages close to 2 wickets/match in ODI cricket. You can almost always count on him to deliver even when he's having an off day. He picked up two wickets in the last over of the match when Australia faced the Proteas earlier in the tournament. He'll want to better that and could well do so in this crucial semi-final clash.

For a player like him to be a differential is rare. Dream11 players should jump at the chance to pick him.