National Stadium Karachi Pitch Report For PAK Vs SA Match In ODI Tri-Series

Karachi Stadium report [Source: @developingpak/X.com]

The stage is set for the virtual knockout of the Pakistan tri-nation tournament between the hosts and South Africa at the newly renovated National Stadium in Karachi. Both the teams lost their first match of the series and will have to win the upcoming game to stand a chance of qualifying for the finals.

Interestingly, New Zealand have already qualified after thrashing Pakistan and South Africa. Meanwhile, the home side, Pakistan will be under tremendous pressure as they are the hosts of the Champions Trophy and will be eager to put on a better show before the ICC tournament begins. The last time these two teams met, Pakistan defeated the Proteas in their own backyard and will be confident of repeating the same feat.

Ahead of the contest, we look at how the Karachi Stadium pitch will behave and will it favour the batters or bowlers.

National Stadium Karachi stats and records in ODIs

National Stadium Karachi Pitch Report: Is it batting or bowling friendly?

The Gaddafi Stadium in the first two games of the series witnessed high-scoring encounters, and the same could be expected for the National Stadium Karachi. Initially pacers will get a bit of help, but when the dust settles in, it will be a batting paradise.

The ball will come onto the bat nicely and the flat track will allow the batters to free their arms with ease and play their natural game. Gaddafi Stadium witnessed some help for the bowlers under lights, however, that won't be the case at the Karachi Stadium. There could be some turn for the spinners as the ball gets old, but it won't be a rank turner.

Also, the weather is sunny on Wednesday, which means that there could be some reverse swing on offer after the 35th over and Pakistan bowlers are a master of it. The toss winning side might look to bat under lights.

Players To Watch Out For At National Stadium Karachi

Babar Azam

The star Pakistan batter failed against New Zealand in the first match, but you cannot keep a quality player down and expect him to bounce back in Karachi. In 8 ODI matches here, Babar has racked up 457 runs, with an average of 57.13.

The South African attack is not as threatening as the Kiwi attack and expect Babar to score truckloads of runs.

Heinrich Klaasen

Heinrich Klaasen didn't play against New Zealand, but expect him and other senior players to be back for this contest. In the last series against Pakistan, he scored runs for fun, and the dangerous batter will be carrying the confidence in the upcoming match against Pakistan. He loves playing against them, and could be the difference maker on flat surfaces at Karachi.

Shaheen Afridi

The leader of the Pakistan pace attack, Shaheen will have loads of responsibility in Haris Rauf's absence. The star pacer has played 3 matches in Karachi and has picked up 6 wickets at 22.17. He has a good track record against the Proteas and will be hoping to deliver the goods after a lacklustre showing Vs New Zealand.

(Fakhar Zaman, Matthew Breetzke, and Abrar Ahmed could be the other players who can deliver at this venue).

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