SOUTH AFRICA VS. PAKISTAN: PAK’S TOUR OF SA 2021, 2nd T20 | MATCH PREDICTION AND FANTASY CRICKET TIPS
Hosts South Africa take on Pakistan in the second T20 of the 4-match series at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Monday.
Pakistan started the T20I series on a winning note as they managed to upstage the home team by putting up a solid batting and bowling performance in a high-scoring game. They now lead the 4-match series by 1-0.
Choosing to bat first, South Africa did well on a good batting pitch and scored 188 runs in their innings, thanks to half centuries from skipper Klaasen and A Markram. Although a total of around 200 looked certain, some poor batting in the final overs cost them 15-20 runs. In the second innings, the bowlers were not penetrative enough as they allowed Pakistan off the hook with some average bowling performance. B Hendricks and T Shamsi were good, picking up 5 wickets between them, whereas the inexperience of the others could be seen clearly. The team will need something special to make a comeback here.
The visitors took full advantage of the inexperienced home side in the last game and played brilliantly in all departments. The bowlers, particularly M Nawaz and Hassan Ali, were impressive and restricted the South African batsmen to a chasable total. The chase revolved around opener M Rizwan as his unbeaten knock of 74 runs, along with healthy contributions from F Zaman and F Ashraf, helped seal the game for the visitors. The team would like to improve upon consistency from their middle order in the next match.
With Pakistan winning the opening clash, expect South Africa to come hard at them in the second game at the Bullring on Monday.
Match Details
- Match: South Africa vs. Pakistan, 2nd T20
- Venue: Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
- Date & Time: Apr. 12, 2021 at 6 PM IST
Probable Playing XI
South Africa
J Malan, A Markram, W Lubbe, H Klaasen (C & WK), P Van Biljon, G Linde, A Phehlukwayo, S Magala, T Shamsi, B Hendricks, L Williams
Pakistan
M Rizwan (WK), B Azam (C), F Zaman, M Hafeez, Haider Ali, F Ashraf, M Nawaz, Hassan Ali, S Afridi, H Rauf, U Qadir
Weather and Pitch Report
Johannesburg is expected to have clear and sunny weather during the match. The temperature will be around 27 degrees during the game.
As seen in the last game, the pitch at the Wanderers is expected to be a belter again. There will be a lot of runs for the batsmen as the ball will come onto the bat nicely. Seamers will have a hard time on this surface but the spinners will get some help during the middle overs. The average first-innings score in the last five T20I matches played here has been 180 runs.
The team batting first has won 4 of the last 5 T20I games played at this venue. So expect the captain winning the toss to bat first and put up a big total on the board. A score of around 190 runs should be a competitive one.
Key Players
- A Markram played his best innings of the tour so far, scoring 51 runs off 32 balls, in the last match. He played good shots and attacked the bowlers right from the start. He will look to play a much bigger inning this time.
- H Klaasen scored his third T20 half century in the last match. He played some innovative shots before getting dismissed for 50 runs off 28 balls. His presence in the middle allowed others to play well too. He will look to play a match-winning knock here.
- T Shamsi bowled well in the last match, picking up the important wickets of Fakhar and Hafeez, and also not conceding too many runs. In a high-scoring game, he conceded just over 7 runs an over.
- B Azam was dismissed for a low score for the second time at this venue on the tour. He scored only 14 runs before getting dismissed trying to play a big shot. He has a career average of 47.13 after 48 T20Is and will look to play big innings in the second game.
- M Rizwan is in great form in the shortest format at the moment. This was his fourth 50+ knock in the last five T20Is, which also includes a century against the same opponents. He will look to continue from where he left off in the first match.
- Hassan Ali bowled well in the first T20I, conceding just 28 runs and picking up the wickets of Klaasen and W Lubbe at crucial times in the game. He can be a handy lower-order batsman as seen in the final ODI and the first match of this series.
Howzat Dream Team
- Wicketkeepers: H Klassen, M Rizwan
- Batsmen: A Markram, B Azam, P Van Biljon
- All-rounders: M Hafeez, M Nawaz
- Bowlers: S Afridi, Hassan Ali, L Williams, T Shamsi
- Captain: B Azam/M Rizwan
- Vice Captain: H Klaasen/A Markram
NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can make your match prediction and play fantasy cricket matches. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team suggested.
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