SA vs PAK: 3rd T20I, Match Prediction – Who will win today’s match?

Preview

South Africa couldn’t get over the line against Pakistan in the opening T20I at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. But at the same venue, they managed to draw the equaliser, winning by six wickets with 36 balls to spare.

With the series 1-1, a win for either team would help them gain an unassailable lead in the series. The third game is set to be played at the SuperSport Park, Centurion. The numbers are in Pakistan’s favour going into the upcoming contest on Wednesday, April 14. Babar Azam and Co have beaten the Proteas in two out of two T20Is at the venue.

Moreover, the Proteas have a 5-5 win-loss record in T20Is in Centurion. The hosts showed a lot of character in the last game despite not having some of their key players, and they would be looking for a similar show.

Match Details

Match – South Africa vs Pakistan – 3rd match

Venue – SuperSport Park, Centurion

Time – 6:00 PM IST, 12:30 PM GMT

Where to watch live – Star Sports Network, Hotstar

Pitch Report

The pitch at the SuperSport Park has been an excellent one for batting thus far. In 10 T20Is, teams have managed a run rate of around nine. Even in the ODI series, the two matches turned out to be pretty high-scoring. Teams may avoid chasing as the teams, batting first, have won seven out of 10 matches. The conditions will be sunny with a temperature around 28 degrees Celsius.

Avg score:  179 (10 T20Is at the SuperSport Park)

Record of chasing teams: Won – 3, Lost – 7, Tied – 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 – 19 | South Africa– 10 |Pakistan – 9 |N/R – 0

Probable best batsman of the match

Aiden Markram- South Africa

Aiden Markram has been in excellent rhythm at the top of the order. He hasn’t played the big and booming strokes but has made sure of keeping the scoreboard ticking. The right-hander is currently the leading run-scorer in the series with 105 runs at an average and strike rate of 52.50 and 169.35 respectively. He already has two half-centuries to show for his efforts.

Probable best bowler of the match

Hasan Ali– Pakistan

Hasan Ali has looked reasonable until now in Pakistan’s bowling. He missed out on the ODI series but has made sure of contributing in the shortest format. In the six overs he has bowled thus far, the pacer has picked up three wickets. His economy of 7.33 isn’t the worst, bearing in mind that he has bowled on pitches, which haven’t had much to offer to the pacers.

Today’s match prediction: The team, batting first 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.