ICC Champions Trophy: 5 Players to watch out for in Australia vs South Africa clash

Things are motoring along nicely in the ICC Champions Trophy, with exactly half of the group-stage games completed. It has been a competition that has fairly played to the script so far, with no real surprises. The closest we got to one was Australia chasing down a target over 350 despite losing Steve Smith and Travis Head early. Another team that has impressed in the Champions Trophy so far has been South Africa. The Proteas were clinical on their opening day against Afghanistan, as they set up a win of 107 runs. Australia and South Africa play each other next, so here’s a look at five players to watch out for in the Australia vs South Africa clash. 

ICC Champions Trophy: 5 Players to watch out for in Australia vs South Africa clash

1. Josh Inglis

He’s been around in the Australian setup for more than a year now, providing consistency without any real dazzle. On Saturday though, Josh Inglis more than made up for it as he scored a sublime century against England to register a famous win for Australia. Inglis came out to bat at 122/3, and took on the pace of Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, and Brydon Carse to initiate a superb counter-attack. Inglis scored 120 off just 86 balls and would be looking to improve on that tally now against South Africa. 

2. Travis Head

He had a low score in the first game, but discount Travis Head at your peril. The southpaw has been Australia’s star performer for the big ICC events, being the Player of the Match in the 2023 World Test Championship and ODI World Cup final. Travis Head revels at the big occasion and has a good record against South Africa. He famously took the game away from the Proteas in the semi-final of the 2023 ODI World Cup and would be eager to perform once again. 

3. Ryan Rickelton

Still fairly new to ODI cricket, but Ryan Rickelton made the world take notice with a superb century against Afghanistan in his first ICC event game. He could have got more but was unfortunate to be run out in that manner when his bat stuck on the crease and went in the air. Rickelton scores his runs quickly and enjoys the ball coming onto his bat - exactly what we expected tomorrow in Rawalpindi. The 2025 Champions Trophy has been good towards opening batsmen, with Will Young, Shubman Gill, and Ben Duckett all getting hundreds so far, alongside Rickelton. 

4. Kagiso Rabada

Kagiso Rabada is South Africa’s lead pacer for this tournament in the absence of Anrich Nortje and Gerald Coetzee. He was the pick of the bowlers in the game against Afghanistan, hitting the right lengths and ending with three wickets. Rabada has a good record against Australia, averaging 25.67 against the World Cup champions, and would be keen to better that record with the game in Rawalpindi. 

5. Aiden Markram

South Africa’s former ODI captain has been in some patchy form off late, but he seems to be finding his feet once again. He scored a fifty in the opening game and has a good record against Australia as well - averaging more than 40. Markram likes pace on the ball and bouncy tracks where he can stand tall and hit through the line. Playing Australia in Rawalpindi offers exactly that chance for Markram, so we can expect him to be among the runs.