Pakistan will face South Africa in match 26 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday. Pakistan has been quite scratchy in the ODI WC 2023 as their batting hasn’t fired nor has the pace unit which has been a concern for the team
The Green Shirts will be looking to get back to winning ways against South Africa. Captain Babar Azam will be hoping that the side can bring their A-game to the table in this must-win encounter. On the other hand, South Africa will be hoping that the premier players can deliver the goods in this all-important clash.
THE VENUE FOR PAKISTAN-SOUTH AFRICA MATCH
Average 1st Innings Score: 224
Average 2nd Innings Score: 205
TEAM PREVIEW
PAKISTAN
The Green Shirts will be coming in the match against the South Africa as underdogs, after having collected just four points from five matches played in the competition.
The reason is their recent form where they suffered three defeats in their previous five outings. Therefore, the team management will be hoping to see the players producing a much better display in the match on Friday.
Pakistan’s batting department is heavily reliant on swashbuckling batsman Mohammad Rizwan, who is comfortably the leading run-scorer for the side in the competition with 302 runs at an average of 75.50 along with a strike-rate of 95.87, which included one century and one half-century.
In terms of the bowling department, left-arm seamer Shaheen Afridi is leading the bowling charts in the competition with 10 scalps to his name at a decent average of 25.10 along.
EXPECTED XI OF PAKISTAN v SOUTH AFRICA
Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf
SOUTH AFRICA
Aiden Markram will be hoping that the side can continue their winning momentum in this fixture. In their previous outing, South Africa registered a comprehensive 149-run win over Bangladesh at Mumbai.
After registering comprehensive wins over England and Bangladesh, South Africa are currently placed at second position with 8 points to their name after five matches played in the competition.
In terms of the batting department, the side has been heavily relying on the likes of Quinton de Kock, Rassie Van Der Dussen, Aiden Markram, David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen to deliver the bulk of the runs.
Quinton de Kock is currently leading run-scorer for South Africa with 407 runs at an impressive average of 81.40 with three centuries to his name. On the other hand, Heinrich Klaasen has scored 288 runs at an average of 57.60 and with an astonishing strike-rate of 150.78.
The management would be hoping to see the players can deliver the goods with bat and ball and help South Africa secure a place in the playoffs of the competition.
The Proteas have a decent bowling unit in this year’s World Cup where pacer Kagiso Rabada is leading the wickets chart with 10 scalps to his name at an outstanding average of 21.90.He is well-supported by rookie pacer, Marco Jansen, who has 10 wickets at an average of 24.70 along with a decent economy-rate of 6.50.
EXPECTED XI OF SOUTH AFRICA v PAKISTAN
Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram (c), Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lizaad Williams
PREDICTION FOR THE MATCH
Based on current form in this World Cup, South Africa will be clear favorites to win their match against Pakistan