AUS vs SA Match Prediction: Who will win the Champions Trophy 2025 Match 7?
AUS vs SA Match Details
As we move into the second half of the group stage of the Champions Trophy 2025, two strong teams, Australia and South Africa, are set to take on each other in Match 7 at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on 25 February starting at 2:30 PM IST in a Group B clash.
Both these teams have won their opening matches in the tournament. While South Africa defeated Afghanistan by a big margin of 107 runs, Australia chased down a target of 352 with 15 balls to spare against famous rivals England to register the highest-ever successful run chase in Champions Trophy history. South Africa are on top of the points table in Group B courtesy a batter run-rate. Who will maintain their unbeaten run in the tournament?
| Match Info. | |
|---|---|
| Series | Champions Trophy 2025 |
| Match | Australia vs South Africa |
| Venue | Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi |
| Date & Time | Feb 25, 2025 at 2:30 PM IST (2 PM Local Time) |
| Live Streaming | JioHotstar (App & Website) |
| Live Broadcast | Star Sports & Sports18 Network |
AUS vs SA Head-to-Head Record
Australia and South Africa has been one rivalry that has been criminally underrated and has flown under the radar amongst all other famous rivalries in the history of the game. Be it the 438 run-chase by South Africa at Wanderers, Johannesburg back in 2006 which still stands as the highest-ever successful run-chase in ODIs to the famous 1999 World Cup Semi Final which ended in a tie and Australia sneaked through to the finals, this battle has always provided the fans with some historic moments.
The numbers also suggest that it has been a closely fought battle between both the teams over the years with South Africa (55 wins) marginally ahead of Australia (51 wins) in the 110 times they have played each other in the ODI format.
| Number of Matches Played | 110 |
| Won by Australia | 51 |
| Won by South Africa | 55 |
| No Result (NR) | 4 |
| Most recent fixtures | November 16, 2023 (won by Australia) |
| First ever fixture | February 26, 1992 (won by South Africa) |
| Last 5 matches | Australia 1 – 4 South Africa |
Surprisingly, Australia and South Africa have never faced each other in the Champions Trophy before. Across all the eight previous editions of the tournament, there has not been a single instance of both the teams playing against each other despite both the teams being a part of all 8 editions that have been held. This upcoming match will be the first time Australia and South Africa will lock horns in a Champions Trophy.
AUS vs SA Pitch Report & Weather Conditions
High-scoring venue
The pitch at the Rawalpindi Stadium is generally one of the flattest wickets going around in Pakistan. There is nice and even bounce with hardly any lateral movement for seamers. While Bangladesh scored 236 in the first innings in only match played here so far in this tournament, New Zealand batters really showed how the pitch favors the batters and made light work of the chase with some ease.
Dew Factor
Dew played a significant role in the contest between New Zealand and Bangladesh as batting became even easier in the second innings with the ball sliding on to the bat much better under lights making New Zealand’s job easier in the second half. Dew usually plays a part at this venue with the chasing side getting an advantage over the team batting first.
Average 1st Innings Score
The average first innings score in the 27 ODI matches played so far at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium is 242. However, the recent figures indicate a much bigger total batting first and the average first innings score in the last 5 ODIs at the venue is 269 characterized by batter-friendly conditions.
| Average 1st Innings score (overall) | 242 |
| Average 1st Inning score (in the last 5 ODIs) | 269 |
Also Read: AUS vs SA Toss Prediction: Who will win today’s toss in Match 7 of ICC Champions Trophy 2025?
Chasing Record
Rawalpindi has traditionally favored the chasing side and teams batting second have won 15 out of the 27 matches here with a win percentage of 55.5%.
| Total number of matches | 27 |
| Matches won by teams batting first | 11 |
| Matches won by chasing teams | 15 |
| Chasing Record | 55% |
The recent data is even more revealing as in the last 5 ODI matches, 4 have been won by the chasing side while one match has ended in a tie. This also includes the only match played in Rawalpindi in the Champions Trophy 2025 where New Zealand chased down 237 against Bangladesh comfortably.
| Number of Matches | 5 |
| Matches won by teams batting first | 0 |
| Matches won by chasing teams | 4 |
| No Result | 1 |
Weather Report
The only thing that might play spoilsport in this crucial encounter might be the weather. With rains predicted in both the innings and a 100% cloud cover expected throughout the day, chances are that the match might see some interruptions. Light showers are predicted throughout the day with one or two heavy bursts of heavy rain later in the evening.
| Temperature | Maximum – 18°C, Minimum – 15°C |
| Weather Forecast | Light showers with 100% cloud cover |
| Rain | 62% chances |
| Pitch Behavior | Flat and hard |
| Best Suited To | Batters |
| Average 1st innings score | 242 |
AUS vs SA Match Prediction: Playing 11s (Predicted)
Australia Probable Playing 11
Matthew Short, Travis Head, Steve Smith (C), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (WK), Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson
Australia are expected to go in with the same team as against England where they chased down 352. However, if they feel the need to replace one of their left-arm seamers with Aaron Hardie that would not be a bad option specially as Smith said in the previous match that the selection of the two left-armers was more a matchup thing but that change seems unlikely.
South Africa Playing 11
Ryan Rickelton (wk), Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma (capt), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi
South Africa’s only probable change could have been Heinrich Klassen coming in but his left elbow issue seems to be still there due to which he missed the game against Afghanistan. That means de Zorzi will get another go at the top and South Africa should stick to the same 11.
Form and Fitness:
Australia Recent Form (most recent first): W L L L L
South Africa Recent Form (most recent first): W L L L L
| Team | Matches Won (out of last 5) | Matches Lost (out of last 5) |
| Australia | 1 | 4 |
| South Africa | 1 | 4 |
AUS vs SA recent form (Last 5 matches)
Australia: Jog your memory back and think of the last time when you saw an Australian team without the trio of Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood. Well, if we remove their first match of this Champions Trophy, it would be pretty hard to recall such an instance. But come the ICC tournaments, Australia have always been the beasts and once again they reminded the world of that with a record run-chase against England a couple of days ago with what was termed as a supposedly weaker side.
Their bowling would be put into the furnace once more on the absolute road at Rawalpindi, something that Alex Carey also acknowledged in the press conference a day before the game when he admitted that they might need to score 400 if they bat first but their batting unit with lesser-anticipated heroes in the previous game in the form of Inglis, Carey and Short will be more than confident of doing the job at hand.
South Africa: Record books might tell you that South Africa have lost 4 out of their last 5 ODIs but the catch there is that a couple of them were in the tri-series preceding the Champions Trophy when South Africa fielded a second-11 (almost) with a majority of their key players getting business done in the SA20. They are back to their full strength and they are a really tough unit to play against, ask Afghanistan whom they hammered in their tournament opener.
Even without Klassen, one of the most powerful middle-order batters in the world, South Africa posted 315 against the impressive bowling lineup of Afghanistan on the back of an impressive hundred from Ryan Rickelton. Temba Bavuma has carried his red-ball form, van der Dussen seems to be continuing his ODI form and they would need to keep doing so in Klassen’s absence again. Because if they do, guys like Rabada, Jansen and the others forming the bowling unit with the ball rarely have an off day.
AUS vs SA Toss Prediction: South Africa to win and bowl first
Given the chasing record at the venue but more importantly the weather conditions expected with rain likely to play it part, either of the skippers winning the toss would definitely want to bowl first. Our prediction is that South Africa would win the toss and have a bowl.
AUS vs SA Score Prediction:
Scenario 1: Australia batting first
If Australia bats first, our prediction will be a score of around the 300-run mark.
Scenario 1: South Africa batting first
If South Africa gets a first go with the bat, they will score around 325 runs as per our prediction.
AUS vs SA Players to perform prediction:
Australia
- Travis Head – The Australia opener is in the form of his life and was the player of the match when these two teams last met in the semi-finals of the 2023 ODI World Cup. He is one of the most dangerous batters in world cricket at the moment and could be lethal if he gets going on a place like Rawalpindi.
- Glenn Maxwell – Even though Glenn Maxwell’s numbers against South Africa are poor, the all-rounder is in some ominous touch and a track like Rawalpindi could be perfect for him to unleash himself specially on the back of a 15-ball 32 in the previous match. Not to forget, his off-spin could come in handy too against a South African batting line-up with potentially three left-handers in the top-6.
- Marnus Labuschagne – The right-hander averages 55.11 against South Africa with 496 runs to his name including 2 centuries and a half-century in 10 innings. He scored an important 47 off 45 against England in the previous match and is in some brilliant form.
South Africa
- David Miller – Australia brings out the best out of the left-handed Miler. The Kangaroos are the only team against which Miller has scored more than thousand ODI runs, 1033 runs at an average of 57.38 with half of his 6 ODI centuries coming against them, the latest one being in the 2023 ODI WC semi-final when these two teams last met. He could be a player to watch out for.
- Marco Jansen – The 6 ft 9 in left-hander is a menace to face for any opposition if he gets his areas right, he could be one to have an eye for against the Aussies up front with the new ball even though he only has a decent record against them with 10 wickets in 7 matches including a 5-wicket haul.
- Lungi Ngidi – Ngidi has been a thorn for Australia in the ODI format, he has 19 wickets against them in just 9 outings including his career best of 6/58. He has a good record against the likes of Head, Smith and Labuschagne and could cause some trouble to the Aussies again.
Also Read: RCB-W vs UPW-W Match Prediction: Who will win the Women’s Premier League 2025 Match 9?
AUS vs SA Best Batsman Prediction
Who will score the most runs for Australia in the match: Travis Head & Marnus Labuschagne
Who will score the most runs for South Africa in the match: David Miller & Aiden Markram
AUS vs SA Best Bowler Prediction
Who will pick the most wickets for Australia in the match: Adam Zampa & Glenn Maxwell
Who will pick the most wickets for England in the match: Lungi Ngidi & Marco Jansen
Disclaimer: The prediction is based on the author’s understanding, analysis, and instinct. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision