SA vs PAK: 2nd T20I, Match Prediction – Who will win today’s match?

Preview

South Africa and Pakistan were involved in a nail-biting affair in the first of the four T20Is at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. In the end, Babar Azam and Co tracked down 189 and won the game by four wickets.

With a 1-0 lead under their belt, the visitors would be looking to tighten their grip on the hosts when the teams face each other for the second game at the same venue on Monday. The Proteas handed debuts to three players, but despite lack of experience in their squad, the Proteas made Pakistan run for their money.

A loss for the team would mean that they would concede an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series with two matches remaining. Going into the next game, Heinrich Klaasen’s men would have to sort their bowling issues out at the earliest.

Match Details

Match – South Africa vs Pakistan – 2nd match

Venue – The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

Time – 6:00 PM IST, 10:00 AM GMT

Where to watch live – Star Sports Network, Hotstar

Pitch Report

The pitch in Johannesburg has been a decent one for batting and bowlers may not have a lot to cheer about. The track isn’t expected to change in nature much and batting second should be the way forward. Change of pace will be critical on the surface. The playing conditions will be clear with the temperature around 28 degrees Celsius. The humidity will mostly be on the lower side.

Avg first innings score: 172 (30 T20Is at the Wanderers)

Record of chasing teams: Won – 15, Lost – 15, N/R – 0

Probable Playing XIs:

South Africa

Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, Pite Van Biljon, Rassie van der Dussen/Wihan Lubbe, Heinrich Klaasen (c & wk), George Linde, Andile Phehlukwayo, Bjorn Fortuin, Lutho Sipamla, Beuran Hendricks, Tabraiz Shamsi

Bench: JJ Smuts, Dwaine Pretorius/Sisanda Magala, Lizaad Williams, Keshav Maharaj, Daryn Dupavillon, Kyle Verreynne

Pakistan

Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Usman Qadir

Bench: Imam-ul-Haq, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Asif Ali, Danish Aziz, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Abdullah Shafique, Sarfaraz Ahmed/Asif Ali

Head-to-Head

Overall

Played – 18 | South Africa– 9 | Pakistan – 9 |N/R – 0

Probable best batsman of the match

Mohammad Rizwan- Pakistan

Mohammad Rizwan is in the form of his life as far as playing in T20Is is concerned. In his last five matches in the format, the right-hander has scored 360 runs at a stupendous average and strike rate of 120 and 147.54 respectively. Even in the first T20I, it was his unbeaten 50-ball 74 that took Pakistan over the finishing line.

Probable best bowler of the match

Mohammad Nawaz– Pakistan

Mohammad Nawaz has the experience of bowling at various stages of a match. In the previous game, he was arguably the standout bowler for his team. In four overs, he picked up the wickets of both the openers, Janneman Malan and Aiden Markram. Moreover, he conceded a mere 21 runs at an excellent economy rate of 5.20.

Today’s match prediction: Pakistan to win the match.

Disclaimer: This prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision.