Heading into the 1st test match between South Africa and Pakistan, these two sides have been on very opposite spectrums of test cricket over the last couple years, which will make it interesting to see how this ends up playing out. Seeing that the Proteas are currently the World Test Champions and shown tons of prowess in all aspects during this format, they will be locked in once again in hopes of trying to assert their dominance.
As they will be without many players like Temba Bavuma, Lungi Ngidi, and Keshav Maharaj for the first match, their depth is something that is going to show up big time once again, since the recent performance against Pakistan in January proved that completely.
Leading the Proteas will be captain Aiden Markram, as his leadership style is something that has been recognized around the world, and he’s been heavily credited for it. Meanwhile, this is a massive series for Pakistan’s fate in the test format since their struggles have continued building on each other.
Finishing last World Test Championship’s phase with a 27.98% win rate and having an even weaker side with a few retirements, this team is going to have to come a long way in trying to face one of the top test-playing nations in the world. With Shan Masood leading the side, his new era as captain will continue, and it will be quite interesting to see if he is really worth all the hype or ends up being another captain far from leading success.
South Africa: Batting Skill Will Be At A High In This Series With Immense Depth
Looking at the Proteas’ batting lineup, their side should continue having one of the more experienced orders that is full of skill from top to bottom. Opening, Ryan Rickleton will be an absolute stud up-top as he hit a double-century in his last series against Pakistan and has scored 638 runs during 19 career innings. With an average that is close to hitting 40, his batting from the left side really gives this side a great mismatch, since he has shown absolute class versus both right-handed plus left-handed bowlers.
Across from him, there is real potential for Aiden Markram to open with Rickleton as the right-handed South African hero has shown his true joy of playing this longer format.
Scoring a massive near 150 knock in the WTC Final, he is looking to reach 3,000 test runs, while already having hit 8 centuries early on in his career. Another player who bats at a 36+ average, his threat will help Wiaan Mulder build off a historic knock against Zimbabwe last time out and assert dominance at one down.
Looking at that, two-down is where it gets very interesting because they could either play Tony De Zorzi, who’s been a long-time veteran backup on this squad, or give Zubyar Hamza, 307 runs in 16 innings, another opportunity to bat as a strong left-hander. With David Bedingham, 828 runs in 26 innings, expected to come in at three-down, him and Kyle Verreynne may play together or alternate during either match. This is due to new power-hitter Dewald Brevis potentially being added to the batting order, while Corbin Bosch and Marco Jansen continue increasing the depth.
South Africa: Bowling Attack Full Of Potential And Talent To Have Another Big Series
With an already strong order leading this side in the batting phase, their bowlers should show real skill too, as this side has some great pace plus spinning options. Seeing that Kagiso Rabada will be leading the side, he has picked up 336 wickets during 71 matches and is known for having an elite pace that lets him consistently bowl at 140/150 km/hr.
Someone whose known to always bowl very long overs, this time Kagiso Rabada will create an amazing combination with Marco Jansen, 77 wickets, as his tall height allows for this young pacer to deliver key bouncers and mix up the pace. As all-rounder Corbin Bosch has also picked up 15 wickets of his own during a short career so far, he will be another great option who dominated Pakistan last time out.
Meanwhile, for spinners, this team is full of them, as Prenelan Subrayen makes his return after dealing with a minor suspension due to his bowling action. Picking up a 4-wicket haul during his only test match so far, his orthodox action has allowed for some confusion amongst batsmen on how to exactly attack him.
With Senuran Muthusamy, 11 wickets in 5 matches, being the main left-handed option, him turning the ball has been a huge key to his early success, while having clean-bowled some big-time batsmen. As Simon Harmer will make his return to this side, it will be interesting to see if he plays or not, since Aiden Markram is another big-time spinning option.
Pakistan: A Decent Showing By Batsmen Could Really Help Boost Their Confidence
On the other hand, Pakistan are playing for their test-match fate starting from this match, and a lot of it will depend on how their batsmen perform from top to bottom. Knowing that Babar Azam, 9 centuries and 4,235 runs, has been the center of criticism on this side during the last couple years, they will be looking for a big innings from in order to make this match much closer. With him either being the 2nd opener on coming in at one-down,
Shan Masood will be coming in opposite of him as he has recently struggled in this format too. Putting up 17 runs during his last 2 innings against West Indies, this side expects a lot more out of him as he has been trying to keep a decent average in test cricket.
With Iman-Ul-Haq having played 46 innings and showing very up-and-down performances in those matches, they will require him to be more consistent in this series and try adding to his already three centuries in the longer format. One piece that could help this side get tons of hope is Abdullah Shafique, as he’s been in amazing form recently and managed to hit 5 centuries over the past couple years, while trying to get past 2,000 runs in test.
Knowing that Mohammad Rizwan will also be featured as a top batting option for this side with a 40 average, he has seemingly shown his strong potential in playing test cricket because that’s how he ends up playing during every format. Closing it out, Salman Ali Agha and Aamir Jamal will also need to have bigger impacts for this team to go far.
Pakistan: Spin Bowlers Will Have To Carry A Huge Load In This Match
For Pakistan to have any success on the bowling side, their spinners are really going to need a massive performance and play to their full potential. Abrar Ahmed has taken 46 wickets during just 10 matches already and has been one of the brightest spots on this team as he’s very strong with his googly delivery. Noman Ali, 83 wickets, has been their top left-handed spinner, as his orthodox ability has made him a huge wicket-taking threat early.
With Sajid Khan, 59 wickets during 12 matches, being a vital part of their spinning attack as well, he had a big last World Test Championship stage and will be needed as an offbreak attacker from the right side. These three, alongside Faizal Akram, should make a difference since their pacers, like Shaheen Afridi, have struggled in this format.
Previous Matches
Matches Played: 30
South Africa Won: 17
Pakistan Won: 6
Drawn: 7
Match Predictions
South Africa 1st Innings: They will score over 500 runs for 7 to 8 wickets lost and declare after 1st innings
Pakistan 1st Innings: They will get bowled out for 250-275 runs if batting 2nd or 220-230 if going 1st
South Africa 2nd Innings: They will either declare if they bat 1st and score over 500 or score 300+ if batting 2nd
Pakistan 2nd Innings: They will score 250-300 runs if they have to bat after South Africa declare and lose by 200-250 runs
Final Prediction: South Africa will win by an innings and 200+ runs if batting 1st or over 235-240 runs if batting 2nd
Key Players
Pakistan
Sajid Khan: Top-notch spinner who can turn the ball and should keep his side somewhat in the match with his right-hand prowess
Nohaid Ali: Great left-handed piece who can take huge wickets while keeping a low economy
Abdullah Shafique: Opener who has created some vital knocks from the top with his ability to play with great touch
Abrar Ahmed: Spinner who has remained consistent with his ability of hitting the middle of the stumps
South Africa
Kagiso Rabada: Great bowler who continues producing at a high pace and creates a threat with his consistency
Corbin Bosch: All-rounder looking to make his name as a full-time piece going forward
Ryan Rickleton: Opener who has developed into a great power-hitter and has class with his boundary-hitting ability
Aiden Markram: Captain who tends to come up in very tense situations and play vital knocks
Also Read: ICC WTC 2023-25: Aiden Markram’s 136 Runs Power South Africa To WTC Triumph