South Africa were humbled by Pakistan as they lost their 2nd game in succession during the ongoing ODI series. Temba Bavuma and his men lost the second ODI by a massive margin of 81 runs before the third and final ODI in Johannesburg, which is set to be a dead rubber now.
The current series was huge in terms of preparation for the upcoming Champions Trophy in February. The Proteas had also lost the ODI series to Afghanistan raising serious doubts about their current form in the format. Yet another loss will be seen as a huge dent in the morale of the hosts ahead of the massive tournament next year.
Speaking in a post-match press conference, skipper Temba Bavuma said, “We had things under control in the first 25 overs, but we let them express themselves in the last 25, conceding over 200 runs. We let the good work in the first 25 slip away”
Here is the likely South Africa XI vs Pakistan
Top order – Temba Bavuma, Tony De Zorzi
Pressure will be high on Temba Bavuma when he walks out to bat on Sunday. South African skipper has played 5 ODI games this year and scored just 111 runs with an average of 27.75.
The worrying aspect is that Bavuma hasn’t even scored a fifty in what has been a lean year with the bat for the veteran. Tony De Zorzi has been able to give his team good starts with the bat and has been an enforcer against the new ball in the powerplay overs.
Middle Order – Rassie Van Der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen
South Africa will be hopeful that their veteran trio can come good with the bat in the final game of the series. Van Der Dussen has been South Africa’s best batter in recent times in the ODI format.
Aiden Markram needs a huge knock with the bat after his rather patchy form in the last few games. Heinrich Klaasen was the best batter for the hosts with 97 runs in the last games and will want to end 2024 on a high.
All-Rounders – David Miller, Marco Jansen, Andile Phelukwayo
David Miller is the most experienced batter for Proteas and the previous game in Cape Town was his 1st ODI appearance of the year. Miller will want to get back into the grind ahead of Champions Trophy 2025.
The all-round duties will fall on Marco Jansen and Andile Phelukwayo who can score runs in the latter half of the innings and pick key wickets.
Bowlers – Bjorn Fortuin, Tabraiz Shamsi, and Kwena Maphaka
In the absence of Anrich Nortje, young Kwena Maphaka has been given the chance to show his potential with the ball. The young pacer has been steady with the ball and has shown glimpses of massive potential. The spin bowling department will be led by Bjorn Fortuin and Tabraiz Shamsi.
South Africa XI vs Pakistan
Temba Bavuma (C), Tony De Zorzi, Rassie Van Der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen (WK), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Andile Phelukwayo, Bjorn Fortuin, Kwena Maphaka, and Tabraiz Shamsi.
Disclaimer: This exclusive news is based on the author’s insights, analysis, and intuition. While reviewing this information, consider the points discussed and form your own conclusions.