Toss Delayed As Pakistan Vs South Africa 3rd ODI Gets Hampered Due To Rain
Pakistan Vs South Africa 3rd ODI Toss Delayed (Source: BCCI/X)
In an unfortunate news to cricket fans, the third ODI between Pakistan and South Africa did not get a scheduled start due to persistent rain at The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, on Sunday. Therefore, the toss did not take place, as the pitch is still under the covers.
Even though Pakistan, led by Mohammad Rizwan, won the series with a game to spare, they would love to have a match against South Africa before the focus moves to a two-match Test series, beginning on December 26.
While Pakistan, as usual, confirmed their playing XI before the toss, South Africa's playing XI's confirmation is still pending.
Finally, the toss took place after 5:30 PM IST, and South Africa captain Temba Bavuma won it and opted to field first.
PAK vs SA 3rd ODI: Playing XIs
Pakistan XI: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (C/WK), Kamran Ghulam, Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Sufyan Moqim
South Africa 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
PAK vs SA 3rd ODI: Captains' Thoughts
Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan Captain): "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. We want to be a championship side, and it doesn’t matter who’s out or who’s in. Our focus is on winning."
Temba Bavuma (South Africa Captain): "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. It's a fixture we are looking forward to and we know it's about creating awareness for cancer as well. We have got a decent record playing in pink and we want to improve on that. There's obviously pride as stake and we need to look at us as a One Day team and what's to come."