SA vs PAK 3rd ODI Toss Update: Rizwan Drops Haris Rauf; South Africa Opt To Bowl First
Pakistan to bat first vs South Africa [Source: @TheRealPCB/X]
In a significant development, South Africa have won the toss and opted to bowl first in the final One-Day International of the ongoing three-match series against Pakistan at the iconic Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. Pakistan have made three changes to their playing XI, replacing Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed and Irfan Khan Niazi with Mohammad Hasnain, Sufiyan Muqeem and Tayyab Tahir, respectively.
SA vs PAK 3rd ODI: What Did The Captains Say?
At toss, South African skipper Temba Bavuma reckoned that they would bowl first to capitalise on the seam-friendly conditions. He said,
"We are going to bowl first. Obviously, with the overhead conditions and rain around, the wicket might be slow and tacky. 2 changes for us, Kagiso Rabada comes in and a debutant as well in Bosch. Shamsi sits out."
On the other hand, Pakistan's captain Mohammad Rizwan stated that they would've bowled first as well, saying,
"There’s a bit of moisture on the pitch, and the conditions favor bowling first. We would have chosen to bowl first as well. Every game is important to us. We don’t want to lose our confidence. We’ve made three changes: Hasnain is in, and Sufiyan is in."
SA vs PAK 3rd ODI: Playing XIs
Pakistan Playing XI: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Kamran Ghulam, Agha Salman, Tayyab Tahir, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Sufiyan Muqeem
South Africa Playing XI: Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Bjorn Fortuin, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Kwena Maphaka