T20 World Cup, PAK vs SA: Preview, stats, Fantasy XI
Pakistan will meet South Africa in a crucial Super 12 Group 2 match at the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. Besides winning their remaining matches, Babar Azam's men rely upon other results to qualify for the semi-finals. On the other hand, SA are undefeated so far. A win against Pakistan will almost seal their berth in the next stage. Here is the preview.
Pitch report, timing, and broadcast details
The Sydney Cricket Ground will host this fixture on Thursday (November 3). The track here has been fruitful for batters as the average first-innings score reads 167. Teams batting first have won 10 of the 16 T20Is here so far. The match will be telecast live on Star Sports Network (1:30 PM IST) and live-streamed on the Hotstar app (Paid subscription).
Here is the head-to-head record
Pakistan are narrowly ahead of SA in terms of head-to-head record in T20 Internationals (11-10). The two sides last met in a four-match T20I series in April 2021. Visitors Pakistan put up a dominant show and clinched the series 3-1. In T20 World Cups, the Men in Green have defeated the Proteas side in all their previous three meetings.
Do-or-die match for Pakistan
After losing their first two fixtures against India and Zimbabwe, Pakistan bounced back and defeated Netherlands. However, they must beat South Africa at any cost to keep their virtual hopes alive. The task is indeed a daunting one as Temba Bavuma's men have played some quality cricket in the tournament. Moreover, they defeated the in-form Indian team by five wickets in their last outing.
Fakhar Zaman ruled out of the match
Fakhar Zaman aggravated his knee injury during the Netherlands match and hence, he will miss the SA clash. Pakistan team doctor and Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) chief medical officer Najeeb Soomro confirmed the same while addressing reporters in Sydney. Haider Ali is likely to come back to the XI. Notably, Zaman's participation in the remainder of the tournament also remains in doubt.
A look at the Probable XIs of both sides
Pakistan (Probable XI): Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Babar Azam (captain), Shan Masood, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah. South Africa (Probable XI): Quinton de Kock (wicket-keeper), Temba Bavuma (captain), Rilee Rossouw, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Wayne Parnell, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje.
Who are the key performers?
With 888 runs in 21 games, Mohammad Rizwan is currently the second-highest run-getter in T20Is this year. Rilee Rossouw has smashed 340 runs in nine T20Is since his comeback to the national team. Anrich Nortje's 4/10 against Bangladesh earlier in the tournament are the best figures by a Proteas bowler in T20 WCs. Shadab Khan has taken three-fers in his last two outings.
Dream11 Fantasy cricket options
Fantasy XI (Option 1): Quinton De Kock, Mohammad Rizwan, Rilee Rossouw (captain), David Miller, Shan Masood, Shadab Khan, Aiden Markram, Wayne Parnell (vice-captain), Haris Rauf, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje. Fantasy XI (Option 2): Quinton De Kock (vice-captain), Babar Azam, Rilee Rossouw, David Miller (captain), Shan Masood, Mohammad Nawaz, Aiden Markram, Lungi Ngidi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Anrich Nortje.
