• Home
  • Cricket News
  • Pakistan Eye Series Win As Young Energetic Proteas Aim To Draw Level

Pakistan eye series win as young, energetic Proteas aim to draw level


The Pakistani team defeated a young but talented South African side, only just by three runs, to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series at the Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore. The Babar Azam led side would now be looking to get over with the series by winning the next game and securing an unassailable 2-0 lead. On the other hand, Heinrich Klassen’s men would like to take one more step and finish the game this time around to push the series into the decider on Sunday. 

The last match went down to the wire unexpectedly in a way that the South African team wasn’t backed to deliver the goods that it did with both bat and ball. 

Pakistan’s wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan was the hero of the match, hitting an amazing hundred and taking the game away from the Rainbow nation. However, the likes of Tabrez Shamsi and Bjorn Fortuin tried to pull things back. 

In the chase too the South African young guns in Janneman Malan and Reeza Hendricks did well to give the team a great start. Usman Qadir, the Pakistan debutant spinner was equally good and brought the team back in the game. His brilliant spell was followed well by the pacers Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf. 

Although Pakistan finally got the victory, in no respect the young South African were an easy pushover. It is this fighting spirit of their that gives hope for another cracking game at the Gadaffi Stadium on 13th February.

Pakistan vs South Africa: Match Details

Match Number-2

Date and Time: Feb 13, 2021, 6:30:00 PM IST, 06:00 PM Local, 01: 00 pm IST

Venue: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

Broadcast and Live Stream: Sony Ten and Sony LIV

Players to look out for 

Pakistan

Mohammed Rizwan: Having become the first Pakistani and only the second wicketkeeper in the world to hit a century in all formats of the game, Rizwan would be brimming with confidence in this game. He displayed a huge range of shots to satisfy the coach and team management that promoting him to open was a great decision. 

Usman Qadir: Slower through the air, deceptive in his flight and with a high percentage of dot balls in his kitty from his debut game, Qadir promises to be a great prospect. Probably taking a cue from the legendary leg spinner Abdul Qadir, with whom he shares the surname, Qadir is working up the ladder and could be a bright prospect for future, even in longer formats. 

Strongest XI

Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c), Haider Ali, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Usman Qadir, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf

South Africa

Reeza Hendricks: A perfect fit for the T20 format, Hedricks has shown a lot of potential in the 26 games that he has played so far. But it seems that now is the time he starts cashing in that potential with some match-winning knocks. His 54 in the last innings was a good anchor inning, but the team would be expecting more from him, especially in the prevailing situation where he is one of the senior pros in the side. 

Tabrez Shamsi: Shamsi, one of those bowlers who would give a wicket every match no matter what has now turned effective by being economical in the middle overs as well. It is spells like his last one (1-20 in 4 overs) that give other bowlers to try different things to pick wickets, even if it costs some runs. 

Strongest XI

Janneman Malan, Reeza Hendricks, Jacques Snyman, Heinrich Klaasen (c & wk), David Miller, Dwaine Pretorius, Andile Phehlukwayo, Bjorn Fortuin, George Linde, Lutho Sipamla, Tabraiz Shamsi

Pitch Report

The pitch in the first match was typical Lahore wicket and even after a lot of dew, offered something for the spinners even in the second innings, if they bowled slower through the air. Expecting swing in the first innings would be too much, but the fast bowlers can hope that the ball would skid on. In such a situation, they would look to vary the pace and keep the batsmen guessing. 

For batsmen, it’s as good as it gets as they get true value for their shots. 

Weather and Report

It is going to be chilly in the evening as expected in the northern parts of the Sub-Continent at this time of the year. The clouds would keep on passing, maybe in a failed attempt to curtail the amount of dew, because the dew would be a permanent phenomenon in the evening. There is no doubt that the effect of the dew would be felt more in the evening. 

Thus the skipper winning the toss would choose to bowl first.

Discover more
Top Stories
news

Pakistan to tour South Africa in April, Graeme Smith confirms

South Africa confirmed that Pakistan would be touring the rainbow nation for two limited-overs series involving three ODIs and four T20Is. The Pakistani team will land in South Africa on March 26, just after the end of the Pakistan Super League. All the matches would be played at two venues of the Highveld in Wanderers, Johannesburg and Supersport Park, Centurion. "Pakistan has proved their status over the years as one of the most dangerous limited-overs teams and I'm sure they will give the Proteas a stern test on the Highveld,” Graeme Smith, Director of Cricket, South Africa said in a Press Release. Initially, only three T20Is were scheduled for the tour, but to increase the amount of content in a cricket deprived and covid-19 marred South African summer. "We are grateful to the PCB for agreeing to our request within a short period of time to increase the length of the trip by adding in a fourth T20, which will give us some much-needed additional international content," Smith added. One of the ODIs among three would be on a Pink Day, a prominent feature of the South African summer to raise awareness about and funds for Breast Cancer in the country. “We will also have the much-anticipated Pink ODI take place during the tour and that is something further to look forward to for the players, the fans and all those associated with this iconic day,” said Smith. Pakistan tour of South Africa Schedule ODIs April 1, 1st ODI, SuperSport Park April 4, 2nd ODI, Wanderers April 7, 3rd ODI, SuperSport Park T20Is April 10, 1st T20I, Wanderers April 12, 2nd T20I, Wanderers April 14, 3rd T20I, SuperSport Park April 16, 4th T20I, SuperSport Park

news

Amid talks around his own form, Rahane defends Rohit Sharma, spinners for Chennai loss

Less than a month back Ajinkya Rahane led India to a remarkable win over the hosts Australia in Brisbane and he was welcomed with the showering of flowers in his housing society. Just as the series and challenges against Australia, another challenge was brewing for him and the Team India as now it was their time to become the hosts for England side who like them were coming off a triumphant tour of Sri Lanka. There were a wide range of discussions on the issue of captaincy and whether Virat Kohli was the perfect man to lead the Indian Test team, or if Rahane was a better individual to lead the side against India. The BCCI settled the issue by declaring the captaincy will be with Virat Kohli while Rahane will remain his debut in the Test team. The first Test against England were to start in a very quick time and players had to rejoin the biosecure bubble after spending some time with their families and the Test did not go as per the plans for the hosts and they were battered by an in-form English side who batted and bowled with more discipline than the Indian team. Just as his stay at home was short, public memory turned out to be short for him as well with him failing in both the innings for very low scores. He got out cheaply in both the innings and was caught in the middle of a batting collapse in either inning. Fans and experts started questioning his place in the side, especially at home, but Rahane received massive backing from the skipper Kohli who rated him important batsman for the team in Tests. Rahane was the man to address press before the second Test starting on February 13 and he was not let go, but was rather confronted for his poor showings with the bat in the first Test. Showing his calm demeanour, Rahane outlined his approach of not looking back on what happened in the past and instead, pointed that he is focussed on the next Test and how can the team bounce back after going 1-0 down in the last game. “My focus is how can I perform for my team; I do not need to worry about what happened in the 1st Test,” Rahane said in the pre-match virtual press conference. The pitch for the first Test appeared to be flat and offered nothing to very little assistance to Indian spinners and England got away on the back of Joe Root’s brilliant double hundred to post a mammoth total in the first innings. Although the trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah toiled hard to challenge England batting line up, they could not do enough as the fourth and fifth bowler in the Indian line up-- Shahbaz Nadeem and Washington Sundar failed to keep the pressure created by their senior teammates on the England batsmen and allowed them to get away with loose balls. But, he took a different tone to his skipper Kohli who publicly slammed the duo of Nadeem and Washington for not bowling well in the game after the completion of the first Test. “I thought our spinners bowled well in the 1st Test. If you see 2dn innings, especially Ashwin bowled really well, there is not much concern over their performance,” Rahane added. Rahane expressed confidence that the pitch to be used for the second Test will assist spinners from the very first day and hence suggested that the team combination will change compared to the first Test. India are certain to bring one change in their playing XI with Axar Patel regaining his fitness and Nadeem moving out of the main squad. However, Rahane did not reveal the playing XI or the thought process of the team in terms of team selection going into the second Test of the series. “The pitch looks completely different (from the 1st Test). I am sure it will turn from Day 1. The wicket will be different, so the game plan may change accordingly, but it won't be that tricky,” Rahane said. “Everyone is in the mix (playing XI). The good thing is Axar is fit to play. All our spinners are really good “ India had a tough call to make on the selection of wicketkeeper among Rishabh Pant whose bating abilities were too good to be overlooked while Wriddhiman Saha’s qualities behind the stumps are second to none, especially on turning wickets in India. Rahane justified the move by saying that players such as Pant must be backed for the impact they bring to the table for the Indian team and his wicketkeeping skills will only get better with more games under his belt. “Wicketkeeping in India is a tough task and Rishabh Pant will improve and it is a learning curve for him. We need to back players like him who can have an impact with the bat as he does,” Rahane said of Pant. Both him and Rohit Sharma had a terrible game with the bat in the last Test but Rahane backed his Mumbaikar colleague saying the right-hander can win India games every now and then and that his value can’t be downplayed with five or six failures. He also reiterated the decent start Rohit provided India in the last two Tests of the series in Australia. “Rohit Sharma is an important member of the team. He contributed with the bat in Australia. And Rohit is the kind of player you cannot judge him over 5-6 innings, he is a match-winner. It's about having faith in the player,” Rahane spoke highly of Rohit in the press conference. Rahane once again tried to settle the never-ending debate surrounding the captaincy issues and said that there is no change in leadership of the team and Kohli continues to lead the Indian team. “As I have reiterated, Virat Kohli is our captain, and he will remain our captain,” Rahane said. Rahane was the man who turned things around for India in the aftermath of historic low of 36 in Adelaide with a splendid century in the next Test. India were comprehensively outplayed in the first Test by England, and the team once again finds itself in trouble. Rahane will be looking forward to getting back among runs and settle all the issues and debates brewing around his batting on home soil come the second Test.