Pakistan tour of South Africa 2024

SA vs PAK, 1st T20I

Preview 

While SA’s Test squad took the field against Sri Lanka, a group of T20 specialists were preparing for a series against Pakistan. The series, set to commence on December 10 at Kingsmead in Durban, will see wicket-keeper batter Heinrich Klassen lead the Proteas squad. 

The forthcoming fixture will be the first of six limited-overs games- three T20Is and three ODIs. The only SA test team player due to make an appearance in the upcoming series is Ryan Rickelton.  

Other star players such as Kagison Rabada, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen and Aiden Markram will likely be seen later in the series. 

The hosts will be heading into this series following a 1-3 series defeat to India. The four-match bilateral tour started with India emerging victorious in the opening game by 61 runs. Markram and co did manage to pull one back but were outplayed by the men in blue on more than one occasion and thus lost the series. 

Pakistan, on the other hand, recently defeated Zimbabwe 2-1 in a T20I series. They ended the series early with back-to-back wins. 

The Shaheeens, however, lost the final match of the series. Mohammad Rizwan will captain the men in green during the series. 

Match Details

Match: SA vs PAK, 1st T20I, Pakistan tour of South Africa, 2024 -25

Date: Tuesday, December 10, 2024

Time: 9:30 PM

Venue: Kingsmead, Durban 

Pitch and Weather Report

Kingsmead has hosted 23 T20Is so far and is known for producing high-scoring matches. Australia registered the highest total at this venue when they scored a whopping 226 in their quota of 20 overs. In that very same series, Australia also recorded the highest chase, amassing 191 runs. Even team India notched 202 runs batting first in the last series. Despite 155 being the average first innings total at this venue, we expect a high-scoring contest. 

The weather in Durban is believed to be cloudy with a high possibility of rain showers. Despite 155 being the average first innings total at this venue, we expect a high-scoring contest. 

SA vs PAK Squads

SA: Heinrich Klaasen (c & wk), Ryan Rickelton, Reeza Hendricks, Matthew Breetzke, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, Patrick Kruger, Anrich Nortje, Ottneil Baartman, Tabraiz Shamsi, Nqabayomzi Peter, Rassie van der Dussen, George Linde, Andile Simelane, Kwena Maphaka

PAK: Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Usman Khan, Tayyab Tahir, Salman Agha, Irfan Khan, Abbas Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Omair Yousuf, Jahandad Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Hasnain 


SA vs PAK Probable Playing XIs

SA: Matthew Breetzke, Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Heinrich Klaasen(w/c), David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, George Linde, Patrick Kruger, Anrich Nortje, Ottneil Baartman, Tabraiz Shamsi

PAK: Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan(w/c), Babar Azam, Usman Khan, Tayyab Tahir, Salman Agha, Irfan Khan, Abbas Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf


Match Prediction

Barring a few names, both sides have a catalogue of vastly talented but inexperienced players, so it will be interesting to see the brand of cricket the two teams come up with. Beating SA in their backyard will be challenging and thus we’re backing the hosts to draw first blood in the series.   

Suggested Playing XI Real11 Fantasy Cricket



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