Match Details:
The 2nd and final test match of the bilateral series between Pakistan and South Africa will be played at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi.
The match is scheduled to start at 10:00 AM local time and 10:30 PM IST and it will be streamed live on Sony Sports Network.
Preview:
Though they were playing in their home ground, not many would have expected Pakistan to dominate South Africa in the way they did in the first Test. It was their bowling attack which did the trick for Babar Azam’s men. South Africa couldn’t reach the 250-run mark in both of their innings.
On the contrary, Pakistan almost reached the 400-run mark in their first innings. They will be high on confidence coming into this Test, and there is no reason for them to not be. As for the men from the rainbow nation, they will have to acclimatize to the conditions in a better way and their batsmen will have to show better temperament, if they were to beat Pakistan.
PAK vs SA Weather Report for 2nd Test:
It will be cloudy on the first day of the match, the sun will be out for the next four days with the temperature not exceeding 23 degrees Celsius and also the humidity levels are moderate. It will be a full match without any interruption from rain.
Pitch Condition/Report:
The surface here at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium is a balanced one. With only 2 test matches played in recent times, there won’t be much response from the surface in the second and third day. So, the team batting second have more advantage than the team batting first. It’s going to be crucial one hour at the start. If the side batting first gets through that period without losing wickets, they have every chance of scoring more than 300 runs. Bowling first will be a good option on this surface.
Average first innings score:
270 (Considering the most recent last 2 test matches played on this venue)
Injury and Availability News:
(Will be added when there is an update)
PAK vs SA Today’s Probable Playing XIs:
Pakistan
Abid Ali, Imran Butt, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam (c), Fawad Alam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Yasir Shah, Hasan Ali, Nauman Ali, Shaheen Afridi
Bench:
Mohammad Nawaz, Saud Shakeel, Sarfraz Ahmed, Tabish Khan, Haris Rauf, Sajid Khan
South Africa
Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Faf du Plessis, Rassie van der Dussen, Quinton de Kock (c & wk), Temba Bavuma, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje
Bench:
Sarel Erwee, Keegan Peterson, Kyle Verreynne, Wiaan Mulder, Lutho Sipamla, Dwaine Pretorius, Daryn Dupavillon, Beuran Hendricks, Tabraiz Shamsi, Marco Jansen
PAK vs SA Top Picks for Today’s Dream11 Match:
Fawad Alam, with his unusual batting stance, has not given any kind of hint for the bowlers to dismiss him. After scoring an overseas century against New Zealand, he carried the same form for the home series also, where he scored a crucial 109 in the first innings. His knock allowed Pakistan to take the lead.
Newly-appointed Pakistan Test skipper Babar Azam had a rare poor performance in the first Test. That being said, he still is the main pillar of Pakistan’s batting unit.
Former skipper Azhar Ali looked good in the first innings of the first Test match, scoring 51 important runs for his side. In his Test career, he has scored 6384 runs at an average of 43.14, including 17 hundreds and 33 fifties.
Dean Elgar has been one of the most consistent batsmen for South Africa over the years and has scored runs in the challenging conditions outside South Africa as well. In the first Test match, he managed to score 58 & 29 in first and second innings respectively.
Kagiso Rabada always gives more than 100 percent on the field. In the first innings, he removed the Pakistan openers Imran Butt and Abid Ali. Later on, the speedster sent he grabbed Hasan Ali’s wicket.
South Africa skipper Quinton de Kock got a start in the first innings, but was dismissed by Nauman Ali on 15. He bats freely and can score runs quickly in the middle. Since he is a wicket-keeper, he is likely to get more catches and run-outs than the rest and it is one of the factors to include him in your team.
Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:
Captain Options – Dean Elgar, Babar Azam, Azhar Ali,
Vice-Captain Options – Faheem Ashraf, Rassie van der Dussen, Fawad Alam
Suggested Playing XI No.1 for PAK vs SA Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:
Keeper – Quinton de Kock
Batters – Babar Azam, Azhar Ali, Fawad Alam, Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar (c)
All-Rounders – Faheem Ashraf (vc)
Bowlers – Nauman Ali, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Hasan Ali
Suggested Playing XI No.2 for PAK vs SA Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:
Keeper – Mohammad Rizwan, Quinton de Kock
Batters – Abid Ali, Babar Azam (c), Fawad Alam, Rassie van der Dussen (vc), Dean Elgar
All-Rounders – Faheem Ashraf
Bowlers – Shaheen Afridi, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj
Expert Advice:
Nauman Ali can be a great pick at a cut-throat price of 8 Cr. He scored 24 runs and picked up 2 wickets in the first innings, while in the second, he picked up a 5-wicket haul.
Today’s PAK vs SA Probable Winners:
Pakistan are expected to win this match.
