PAK v SA: T20 WC PREVIEW

South Africa so far is the only unbeaten team in the tournament and going by their form its going to be an uphill task for Pakistan to snatch 2 points from them. The Proteas have one of the most explosive batting line up in the tournament and a pace battery that can give any team a run for their money.

It would be interesting to see if they bring in Tabreiz Shamsi given how the conditions at SCG have played out but they’ll have to bench one of their pacers who haven’t put a foot wrong so far. Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi have bagged 4 wkt hauls against Bangladesh and India respectively.

Problems continue to rise for Pakistan as Fakhar Zaman has been ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury. It has been a very disappointing start given the team they had this year.

The criticism around Babar and Rizwan's style of play was long due and after the Asia cup loss it became mainstream. Babar and Rizwan both have been operating at a SR of 119 and 114 respectively in the Powerplay. This puts a lot of pressure and results in less game time for the middle order and they are compelled to go from ball 1. This also put Fakhar out of the team as his natural position is of an opener. They had a golden chnace to try Masood at the top against Eng and in triseries in NZ and demote one of them at 3. Meanwhile, Shadab's promotion at 4, extended run to Haider and usage of Nawaz the batter did yeild few positive results for them but both fell flat in the game against Ind and Zim by getting out in the same over twice.

Probable XI

South Africa

Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Rilee Rossouw, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Wayne Parnell, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada.

Pakistan

Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shan Masood, Haider Ali, Shadab Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi

Venue

Sydney Cricket Ground

Total matches 16

Matches won batting first 10

Matches won bowling first 5

Average 1st Inns scores 167
Average 2nd Inns scores 132

Highest total recorded 221/5 by AUS vs ENG

Lowest total recorded 101/10 by BAN vs RSA

Highest score chased 200/3 by IND vs AUS

Head-to-Head

Both teams have faced each other 21 times in t20is and twice in t20 wcs

Overall: PAK leads by 11-10

Batting 1st: PAK leads by 6-4

Batting 2nd: SA Leads by 6-5

Last 5 matches:PAK Leads by 4-1

Highest run scorer: Babar Azam (410)

Highest wkt taker: Dale Steyn (12)

Recent Form

(Last five matches)

Pakistan:

W L L W W

South Africa

W W NR W L

Match Ups

Babar v Lungi: 0 off 1, 1 out

Babar v Shamsi: 75 off 52

Haider v Shamsi: 8 off 12, 2 outs

Rizwan v Shamsi: 60 off 44, 1 out

Rossouw v Shaheen: 25 off 15, 0 our

Rossouw v Shadab: 44 off 42, 4 out

Rossouw v Nawaz: 9 off 18, 2 out

Rossouw v Rauf: 42 off 27, 3 out

Markram v Rauf: 20 off 8, 0 out

Markram v Nawaz: 60 off 36, 3 out

Miller v Shaheen: 24 off 20, 0 out

Miller v Shadab: 15 off 14, 2 out

Form Update

(last 5 innings)

Key Players & Fantasy Picks

Rilee Rossouw

This year he averaged 40 and struck at 167 in Pakistan’s t20 league, Was the 2nd highest run scorer in England’s t20 league with 623 runs with 192 SR. On national comeback, scored 96, went on to score a 100 against India in Indore and has started his WC campaign with another 100 against Bangladesh. If you are searching for a explosive batter with big scores at top in Fantasy XI , Rilee Rossouw is the name

Shadab Khan

He is Pakistan’s best fielder and vice-captain of the side. He is often promoted in the batting order and has won Pakistan a couple of games with the bat in the last couple of months. Add to that his 4- over economical spells in every game. He is a complete package in t20s who’ll fetch you plenty of points in Fantasy XI

Md Wasim Jnr

He is a wicket taking machine. So far he has picked up 6 wkts just from 2 games and is brilliant in the death overs along with Harsi Rauf. In addition to that, he knows how to use the long handle in the end overs.

David Miller

A side's lower middle order and a finisher are the most difficult and responsible positions to fill in T20is. It is one of the toughest jobs and it is not an easy thing to swing your bat right away. It is very important to have skilled batters because games are often made and broken in the final phases. And, who else than David Miller is the perfect candidate for the job currently. Miller is one of the greatest finishers this format has probably seen with tons of experience under his belt. No one has scored more runs than him at a better SR in t20is batting at 5 or below. If we apply the same parameters, Only Kieron Pollard has scored more runs than him at a better SR in Indian t20 league. A bankable pick with Markram and Rizwan

Risky Pick

Quinton de Kock has started this tournament on a high note with quick fire knocks against Zim and Bangladesh. But his consistency is the biggest hindrance and has struggled against top teams in recent past. H failed to deliver against India and is a suspect against Pak’s pace attack He is a high risk high reward pick. Babar has had a horrible start to his season, but he is a good enough player to bounce back

Fantasy XI