Pakistan eye ODI series win against South Africa: Preview
What's the story
The second ODI of the three-match series between Pakistan and South Africa will be played at Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad on Thursday. The first match was a thrilling encounter that saw Pakistan clinch victory by two wickets with just a couple of balls remaining. A win for Pakistan will see them take a 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Here's the preview.
Match recap
Recap of the 1st ODI
Quinton de Kock and Lhuan-dre Pretorius were instrumental for South Africa, scoring 63 and 57 runs respectively. Naseem Shah and Abrar Ahmed picked three wickets each. In response, Salman Ali Agha top-scored for Pakistan with a knock of 62 runs off 71 balls. He shared crucial partnerships with Mohammad Rizwan (55 off 74) and Hussain Talat (22 off 25). Despite a late scare, they managed to chase down the target in the final over of the match.
Match info
Timing, pitch report, and conditions
The second ODI will start at 3:30pm IST. The Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad will host its 2nd successive match of the series. The pitch was tricky to bat on during the first ODI, especially as the game progressed. Hence, the team winning the toss might prefer batting first and setting a big target. Batters will find joy whereas there will be something in the surface for both pacers and spinners alike.
Team stats
Probable XIs for the 2nd ODI
Pakistan likely XI: Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Hussain Talat, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Abrar Ahmed. South Africa likely XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Tony de Zorzi, Matthew Breetzke (c), Sinethemba Qeshile, Donovan Ferreira, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Bjorn Fortuin, Lungi Ngidi, and Lizaad Williams.
Information
Here's the H2H record
As per ESPNcricinfo, Pakistan and South Africa have faced each other in 88 ODIs, with the latter winning 52 times. Pakistan have won 35 matches. 1 game didn't have any result.
Stats
Player focus: A look at the stats
In 156 ODIs, de Kock owns 6,833 runs at 45.85 with 21 tons and 31 fifties under his belt. 653 of his runs have come against Pakistan from 17 matches at 38.41. He owns 1 ton and 3 fifties. In 135 matches, Babar Azam has scored 6,298 runs at 53.82. He owns 19 tons and 37 fifties. Naseem Shah owns 58 wickets in 31 ODIs at 24.18. Meanwhile, SA pacer Lungi Ngidi has bagged 114 wickets from 72 matches at 28.29.