The hosts continued their winning run into the T20I series as well, winning the first match of the T20I series by a narrow margin of 3 runs. The second match of the 3-match series is scheduled to be held at Gaddafi Stadium, this Saturday.
Pakistan are knocking on the door of another home series win and the proteas will be hoping they can stop the hosts this time around. The last match went down to the wire, with the visitors requiring 6 runs of the last ball, it was too big an ask from the relatively inexperienced Bjorn Fortuin.
South Africa did make the right call to chase down after winning the toss but it was the lack of experience of the second-string South Africa team that cost them the match. Pakistan’s batting was once again led by the in-form wicket-keeper batsman Mohammed Rizwan, who now has back to back centuries in his last two outings for Team Pakistan.
Though Pakistan were in the driver’s seat most of the period, the visitors did threaten to take the game away at the initial stages of the chase. It does promise to be a neck to neck clash between and there is no doubt that proteas will come back stronger this time around.
Can Pakistan carry on their winning momentum and seal the series? Or will it the South Africans who bounce back to take the series to the decider?
Match Toss Time: 17:30 Local (18:00 IST)
Match Start Time: 18:00 Local (18:30 IST)
Match Venue: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
Weather Report
Conditions are once again ideal for cricket as clear skies are expected throughout the course of the day. The temperature is expected to be hovering in the 18-15 degree Celsius and the humidity at the peak is likely to touch the 69 percent mark.
Pitch
We saw an aggregate of close to 330 runs in the first match and the pattern is likely to continue. The average score at this venue has been around the 170 mark and the team winning the toss should be looking to chase down keeping the dew factor in mind. The spinners did get some purchase of the wicket and they will once again playa vital role in this encounter.
Team News
Mohammed Rizwan once again proved why he is a great asset at the top. The skipper Babar Azam did not have the ideal outing as he was dismissed for a duck and given his caliber, it is only a matter of time he goes big. The bowlers did do a decent job and though Haris Rauf was on the expensive, his knack of picking up wickets would prove vital for the hosts. The management and captain would be more than happy to feature the same Xl that helped take the 1-0 lead in the series.
Jacques Snyman did not have the best of debuts. Given the match is a must-win for the proteas they would be looking to replace the 26-year old all-rounder with George Linde, who has been in wonderful touch in the last couple of games. The rest of the team looks to be the same as the one featured in Match 1.
Probable Playing Xl
Pakistan (PAK): Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c), Haider Ali, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Usman Qadir, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf
South Africa (RSA): Janneman Malan, Reeza Hendricks, Jacques Snyman/George Linde, Heinrich Klaasen (c & wk), David Miller, Dwaine Pretorius, Andile Phehlukwayo, Bjorn Fortuin, Junior Dala, Lutho Sipamla, Tabraiz Shamsi
PAK vs RSA Fantasy Team
Mohammed Rizwan, Reeza Hendricks, Babar Azam, Haider Ali, David Miller, Janneman Malan, Andile Phehlukwayo, Faheem Ashraf, Tabraiz Shamsi, Usman Qadir, Haris Rauf
Captain Picks: Mohammad Rizwan (PAK), Reeza Hendricks (RSA)
Vice-captain Picks: Janneman Malan (RSA), Faheem Ashraf (PAK)
Disclaimer
All the information on Cricwizz is published in good faith and for general information purpose only. The website does not make any warranties about the completeness, reliability, and accuracy of this information. The website will not be liable for any losses and/or damages in connection with the use of our website.
