ICC WC 2023: Pakistan vs South Africa: Preview & Prediction

Pakistan and South Africa two teams with contrasting fortunes will be up against each other in the 26th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. South Africa is flying high with 8 points from five games while Pakistan are in all sorts of trouble after losing three out of the five games they have played so far. Their spinners are not taking wickets in the middle overs which has been one of the reasons for the team’s below-average performance. The Babar Azam-led side needs to answer a lot of questions before they take on South Africa in Chennai. In this article, we will look at all the aspects of the match.

Pakistan

Pakistan has there back against the wall with the loss against Afghanistan. Their bowling has looked clueless and the batters haven't been able to put big scores on the board so far. But above all, they have been below average in the field so far and have made a lot of errors in the field which has cost them the game. Pakistan needs to rectify its mistakes as soon as possible to have the slightest chance of qualifying for the knockout stage of the tournament

South Africa

For South Africa, the match against Pakistan is another chance to display their batting prowess given the batting lineup is in great form and the opposition’s bowling has not been in the best of form in this tournament so far. The onus will again be on the top six batters who have scored the majority of the team’s runs and would look to do the same in Chennai

Match Details

Venue Stats since 2015

Overall venue stats

Head-to-Head Records

In the history of ODI World Cup tournaments, Pakistan and South Africa have encountered each other in five matches. Among these, Pakistan emerged victorious twice, while South Africa claimed victory three times. The highest total scored by Pakistan in these encounters stands at 308 runs, whereas South Africa’s highest score amounts to 259. On the flip side, South Africa’s lowest total was 202 and Pakistan’s lowest was 173 during these significant clashes.

Players to Watch Out For:

PAK: Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Muhammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi

SA: Quinton De Kock, Rassie Van Der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klassen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada

Possible Playing XI:

PAK: Abdullah Shafique, Imam Ul Haq, Babar Azam (C), Muhammad Rizwan (WK), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali

SA: Quinton De Kock (WK), Reeza Hendricks, Rassie Van Der Dussen, Aiden Markram (C), Heinrich Klassen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Gerald Coetzee

Match Prediction

Probable Best Performers for Pakistan

Probable Best Batter: Babar Azam

Probable Best Bowler: Hasan Ali

Probable Best Performers for South Africa

Probable Best Batter: Quinton de Kock

Probable Best Bowler: Keshav Maharaj

Pitch Report

MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai pitch might be a spin-friendly one, but under the light, it does get better for the batters, which was seen in the last match between Pakistan and Afghanistan.  

Expected weather condition

There is a slight chance of rain during the match but that shouldn’t worry the teams much

However, it will remain cloudy right through in afternoon before getting clear in the evening. 

Squads

Pakistan

Babar Azam (C), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim.

South Africa

Temba Bavuma (c), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams. 

Team Form, Last 5 Matches

Pakistan: L-L-L-W-W

 South Africa: W-L-W-W-W

Dream11 Fantasy Team

Wicket-keepers: Mohammad Rizwan, Quinton de Kock, Heinrich Klaasen

Batters: Babar Azam, Abdullah Shafique

All-rounders: Aiden Markram, Marco Jansen, Shadab Khan

Bowlers: Shaheen Afridi, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj

Recommended Captain: Aiden Markram

Recommended Vice-captain: Heinrich Klaasen

Match Result Prediction: South Africa to win

Image Credit: IndiaToday