South Australia Redbacks take on hosts Highveld Lions in the fourth game of the Champions League T20 at Centurion. This is Lions’ second game after they had overcome the powerful Mumbai in the CLT20 opener.

On paper, there is hardly anything to choose from between the two sides. South Australia (1/1 at BetFred), much like the Lions (1/1 at Ladbrokes), do not possess a batting line-up that can inspire awe for the opposition, but as a team, they should do a good job. What the Lions will not stop reminding themselves is that the Aussie side had managed to qualify for the tournament thanks to the presence of Kieron Pollard and Shahid Afridi – both of whom are absent.

The Lions batted well in that first game against Mumbai, and a lot of the credit needs to go to Jonathon Vandiar. Vandiar (4/1 at Stan James) manoeuvred the bowling in the gaps and ensured that the bad ball was punished to the fullest. He came across as a busy cricketer and it will be interesting to watch him bat against the pace and bounce of Shaun Tait and co. Neil McKenzie (5/1 at SkyBet) shrugged off his Test match batsman-tag and smacked a half-century as well.

Apart from the pair, the captain Alviro Petersen (7/2 at Coral) missed out on an opportunity to take advantage of the Mumbai bowling, as he ran himself out. He will look to take toll of the South Australian bowling once he sees the early overs through, on his home ground.

The match will also see the return of Callum Ferguson (4/1 at Coral), who had badly done is knee in the Champions Trophy last year. That had put him out of action for many months but his return can only augur well for his side and Australia. It remains to be seen who will open the innings, but captain Graham Manou (9/2 at Boylesports) will be a key batsman in the middle.

Daniel Christian (16/1 at Ladbrokes to top-score for his side) has been a part of the Australian squad on an occasion or two, but has failed to grab his opportunities. He will look to get a recall with his fine all-round performances for the Redbacks. He may not bat high enough to get a lot of runs, but there is a good chance that he will get them quite quickly.

Tips:
Favourites: Lions (1/1 at Ladbrokes)
Top Lions batsman: Alviro Petersen (7/2 at Coral)
Top South Australia batsman: Callum Ferguson (4/1 at Coral)