T20 World Cup 2022: Match 36 - Predicted Pakistan Playing XI vs South Africa

After a nervy win against team India, the Proteas are set to cross swords with Pakistan in match 36 of the Super 12 stage in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. Pakistan have faint chances of making it to the semi-finals of the marquee tournament but appears to be tricky for the Babar Azam-led side considering the complicated scenarios in place for the squad.

On the other hand, South Africa have picked up momentum in the competition and are inching closer towards making a place in the last four. Pakistan will need to fire all cylinders against the Proteas if they are to keep their slim chances of progressing to the semi-finals. While the clash will prove to be an interesting one to witness, South Africa winning this fixture would nearly seal their berth for the semi-finals.

Let’s look at Pakistan’s probable playing XI against South Africa:

Openers: Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c)

Skipper Babar Azam has been facing the heat from the fans and the cricketing fraternity for his string of dismal outings in the marquee tournament so far. Single digit scores is what the opener has been associated with, that also includes a first-ball duck against arch rivals India. The onus is on Babar to hit the ground running against the Proteas.

Mohammad Rizwan, like the skipper, could not time the ball too well in the initial games, but his most recent outing against the Netherlands saw him smash a 39-ball 49 at a strike rate of 125.64. The opener duo will need to find their rhythm and get back to building solid partnerships for the side.

Middle-order: Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Asif Ali

Shan Masood has been sensational for the Men in Green scoring runs for the squad since he earned the call up in the marquee tournament. Just the previous encounter against the Dutch side, he was not able to hit the ball too sweetly as he usually is capable of. Masood will look to target the Protean pacers in the forthcoming fixtures and perhaps explode.

Iftikhar Ahmed can come slightly down the order and keep the score board ticking. The batter is capable of constructing an innings that can prove to be a vital one for the squad. Fakhar Zaman has been ruled out of the tournament owing to a knee injury that has ‘aggravated’. The management could have Asif Ali join the side in place of the injured player ahead of the fixture against the Proteas.

All-rounders: Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz

Shadab Khan has been terrific with the ball as he relished scalping three wickets in his most recent outing against the Netherlands at an economy rate of 5.50. Moreover, Shadab has the potential to hit the ground running with the bat as well but has not yet displayed great knocks. However, in the final two fixtures, he will aim to help the side on both the aspects.

Mohammad Nawaz is another all-rounder who has shown his versatile game play in the tournament. He has been economical for the side in the recent matches and will look to use the bigger grounds of Australia to his advantage and garner wickets.

Bowlers: Mohammad Wasim Jr., Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi

Like Shan Masood, another youngster Mohammad Wasim Jr., has been terrific with the ball thus far for the side who is on course to cement his spot in the national side not just for the rest of the fixtures in the tournament but later as well.

The pace trio, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, and Shaheen Afridi have made decent use of the Australian conditions and have the potential to dent the South African batters at any given point. Moreover, crucial breakthroughs can be expected considering the depth in pace, the side has with the inclusion of these three.

Pakistan predicted XI against South Africa:

Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Wasim Jr.