South Africa vs Pakistan, South Africa tour of Pakistan, 2021, Today Match Prediction 12 Apr 2021

sa vs pak Match Prediction & Analysis

Pakistan started the T20I series against South Africa on a winning note as well as was expected. In a high-scoring game, they managed to upstage the home team by putting up a solid batting and bowling performance. South Africa would rue the fact that they couldn’t push hard enough while batting first and that is where they lost the match. Pakistan now lead the 4-match series 1-0 and have a clear advantage going ahead. South Africa did show some glimpses of promise but would need something special to make a comeback. 

TEAMS PREVIEW

South Africa Preview

South Africa started the first T20I on a positive note. They batted first on a great batting pitch and were 159-3 in 16 overs at one stage. From there, a total of around 200 looked certain. But some poor batting from the Proteas and good bowling from the opposition meant that South Africa only managed 29 in the last 4 overs. That’s where they lost the game. However, skipper Heinrich Klaasen's excellent knock of 50 off 28 balls along with Aiden Markram’s 51 off 32 balls were the highlights for the team. Pite van Biljon (34 off 24 balls) was effective too. They would need some contributions from Janneman Malan and Wihan Lubbe at the top of the order to really put the opposition under pressure. 

South Africa’s bowling wasn’t penetrative enough and they allowed Pakistan off the leash whenever they were under a little pressure. While Beuran Hendricks (3-32 off 4 overs) and Tabraiz Shamsi (2-29 off 4 overs) were good, the others just couldn’t sustain the pressure. The likes of George Linde, Lizaad Williams, and Sisanda Magala are clearly inexperienced and that is a huge weakness which Pakistan will exploit again.
 

South Africa Predicted Playing XI:

Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen (c & wk), Pite van Biljon, Wihan Lubbe, George Linde, Andile Phehlukwayo, Sisanda Magala, Beuran Hendricks, Lizaad Williams, Tabraiz Shamsi

South Africa Actual Playing XI:

Lizaad Williams, Janneman Malan, SSB Magala, Heinrich Klaasen, Tabraiz Shamsi, Aiden Markram, Andile Phehlukwayo, George Linde, PJ van Biljon, Wihan Lubbe, B Hendricks

Pakistan Preview

Pakistan are having a great time in the limited-overs series in South Africa right now. They are taking full advantage of the inexperience of the home side and have excelled in all departments. In the first T20I, when South Africa were looking to post a huge total, the Pakistani seamers helped throttle them down. Mohammad Nawaz (2-21 off 4 overs) and Hasan Ali (2-28 off 4 overs) were particularly impressive. Shaheen Afridi, Usman Qadir, and Haris Rauf did go for runs but that was expected on such a belter of a track.

Pakistan’s successful chase revolved around opener Mohammad Rizwan’s unbeaten 74 off 50 balls. The middle-order couldn’t’ contribute much but Faheem Ashraf’s 30* off 14 balls helped seal the game for the visitors. In the next match, Pakistan would like a little more consistency from their middle-order, particularly the likes of Mohammad Hafeez, Haider Ali, and Mohammad Nawaz.
 

Pakistan Predicted Playing XI:

Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Haider Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Qadir, Haris Rauf

Pakistan Actual Playing XI:

Sharjeel Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Qadir, Mohammad Nawaz, Babar Azam, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Hasnain, Haider Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Rizwan

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg is expected to be a belter again. As we in the first T20I here, the wicket was great for batting and the ball came on nicely to the bat all the way through. Seamers will have a hard time if they don’t get their lengths right but spinners will get some purchase during the middle overs.

The weather at Johannesburg on the day of the game will be clear and pleasant. 
 

Venue Details

In the first T20I between South Africa and Pakistan at Johannesburg, a total of 377 runs were scored in under 40 overs. This has historically been a high-scoring venue with as many as 11 totals of over 200 runs achieved here. The team batting first in the 2nd T20I will have to set a target of around 200-odd runs to be in the game.
 

Toss: To Bowl

The team winning the toss might look to bat second as chasing on this venue isn’t too tough once you get going.