Pakistan and South Africa will face each other in the second game of the three-match T20 series at Centurion.
Match Preview:
South Africa overpowered Pakistan in the first T20 of the series. David Miller talked Pakistan’s bowlers to the cleaners, and George Linde spun the web around the tourist batters before playing a great knock with the bat.
Although Anrich Nortje is out of the white-ball series against Pakistan, the home side will do fine as the 18-year-old Kwena Maphaka showed promise with the bowl and Ottniel Baartman was equally impressive.
While Africa won the game by 11 runs, they had a few concerns in the batting department. Reeza Hendricks scored just 8 runs, and the opening batter could not perform well against India as well.
Meanwhile, Rassie van der Dussen could not make an impact either after showing great performances in the T10 league.
So, before the ODI series begins, Africa would look to solve their batting woes.
Pakistan’s batting unit wasn’t on par. Babar Azam failed again, Mohammad Rizwan did not play an ideal T20 knock, Usman Khan was terrible, and Tayyab Tahir was horrendous.
Also the last over from Sufiyan Muqeem was costly as it gave Africa an extra edge to be in the driving seat of the match and Haris Rauf wasn’t at his magical best.
Nevertheless, there were few positives as Shaheen Shah Afridi and Saim Ayub showed great performances against Africa as the former took 3 wickets for 22 and the latter scored 31 off 15.
And the most recent news from the camp is that Jason Gillespie has quit from the head coach of the red-ball and he won’t be joining the team when the Test matches begin.
Nevertheless, Pakistan will be in a do-or-die situation as they take on South Africa in a second match, if they want to push the series to a decider, they will have to give-it-all in the upcoming match of the series.
Pitch and weather report:
The Supersport Park pitch in Centurion is expected to be a well-balanced surface, offering opportunities for both batsmen and bowlers to excel.
Batsmen can anticipate an even-paced and consistently bouncing surface, ideal for playing aggressive shots.
Fast bowlers, particularly with the new ball and under lights, tend to thrive in these conditions, as the pitch may quicken up.
Spinners, however, may face challenges, as the surface generally provides minimal turn. To succeed, they will need to rely on variations in their bowling.
Given the reliable nature of the surface and the potential dew advantage, teams batting second have historically enjoyed success. As a result, the toss is likely to play a crucial role in determining the outcome of the match.
Probable Playing XI:
South Africa: Rassie van der Dussen, Reeza Hendricks, Matthew Breetzke, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen (c & wk), Donovan Ferreira, George Linde, Andile Simelane, Nqabayomzi Peter, Kwena Maphaka, Ottneil Baartman
Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Babar Azam, Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, Tayyab Tahir, Irfan Khan, Abbas Afridi, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed
Head-to-head record:
Pakistan and South Africa have faced each other in 23 T20is games so far. Pakistan has won 12 games while Africa stood victorious in 11 games thus far. So, Africa will look to win the upcoming match to not only seal the series but
equalize the head-to-head record.
Prediction:
Pakistan is likely to make a comeback in the upcoming match of the series.
Where to Watch:
Pakistan: Tapmad, Tamasha, Geo Super, PTV Sports
South Africa: SuperSport
USA: Willow TV
India: Sports18, JioCinema App
UK: SkySports
