PAK vs SA: Pakistan will face South Africa in match 26 of the ODI World Cup 2023 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday. South Africa will hope to continue their winning spree against men in green. On the other hand, Pakistan will aim to get back to winning terms against South Africa. Captain Babar Azam will hope to bring their A game on board in this must-win clash. If they fail to win this clash then they will be automatically out of the tournament.
PAK vs SA TEAMS PREVIEW
Pakistan Preview
The Men in Green will march into this fixture against the overdogs South Africa. The Proteas have an upper hand at this moment as they are far ahead of Pakistan. The Men in Green are currently having just four points from five matches played in the ODI World Cup 2023. The reason for their downfall is their poor form as they have suffered three defeats in their last five fixtures. Therefore the team management will hope that the players produce a much better show in this fixture.
Pakistan’s batting order will be dependent on the services of Mohammed Rizwan who is the leading run-scorer for Pakistan in the tournament 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 the bowling order, left-arm spinner Shaheen Afridi is leading the bowling charts in the competition with 10 scalps to his name at a decent average of 25.10.
Pakistan Predicted Playing XI:
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/Muhammad Wasim Jnr.
South Africa Preview
The South African team is brimming with confidence & is aiming to continue their winning momentum against Pakistan. In their last fixture, they outclassed Bangladesh by 149 runs to win the fixture with flying colors. After registering a comprehensive win over England & Bangladesh, South Africa is placed in the second position on the Points table with 8 points in their kitty after five fixtures.
The management will hope to see the players deliver a good show with both bat & ball & help the Proteas secure a place in the Playoffs. South Africa has a decent bowling unit with Rabada leading the chart with 10 scalps at an average of 21.90 in his kitty. He is well supported by Jansen who has scalped 10 wickets at an average of 24.70 along with a decent economy rate of 6.50.
In terms of the batting department, the team has been heavily relying on the likes of Quinton De Kock, Rassie Van der Dussen, Aiden Markram& David Miller & Heinrich Klaasen to deliver the bulk of the runs. De Kock is the leading run-scorer for Proteas with 407 runs at an impressive average of 81.40 with three tons to his name. On the other hand, Heinrich Klaasen has scored 288 runs at an average of 57.60 & with an astonishing strike rate of 150.78.
South Africa Predicted Playing XI:
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/Tabraiz Shamsi
PAK vs SA Pitch report
The wicket prepared for the fixture will assist spinners. The batters will have to score as many runs as possible in the Power-play Overs. The weather forecast for Friday’s match will be going to be sunny with a gentle breeze.
The Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai will host the Match 26 of the World Cup 2023 between Pakistan & South Africa. Pakistan will be bolstered by the fact that they have won their previous two World Cup matches against South Africa.
Toss to Bowl
Both the teams will be keen to win the toss & bowl first to restrict the opposition to 270 runs. The majority of matches played at Chennai have been won by the team chasing.
Winning Prediction
South Africa are clear favorites to win this match against Pakistan. They have shown their gleaming form & look well settled as compared to Pakistan who have failed miserably like a bowling unit. They are in a must-win position & need to win this fixture if they march ahead into the tournament.
Prediction: We Predict South Africa to win this fixture.
Also read, ENG vs SL ODI World Cup 2023 Dream11 Prediction
