South Africa vs Pakistan, 2018-19: Test Series – Statistical Preview

2018 has been a tough year for Pakistan which they will finish marking the begin of their quest in South Africa with the Boxing Day Test match in Centurion. Their tour comprises of three Tests, five ODIs and three T20Is that concludes in the first week of February. The Pakistan side is coming back of a Test series defeat in UAE against New Zealand which is their second loss in the last 15 months at their adopted home. South Africa, on the other hand, has been a solid team in the longer format at home recently though they lost quite a few games away.

All the key stats and numbers ahead of the 3-match Test series between South Africa and Pakistan:

2-9 – Pakistan’s win-loss record in Test cricket in South Africa. They have played 12 Test matches in this part of the World winning in two and losing in nine games. Another Test ended in a draw which was affected by rain. Pakistan defeated South Africa in South Africa in the 1998 Durban Test and in the 2007 Port Elizabeth Test.

4 – Number of Test matches South Africa lost in 2018; the joint-most in a calendar year since 2007. They lost four Tests apiece in 2009 and 2015 as well.

18-2 – South Africa’s record at the SuperSport Park which will be hosting the first Test of the series. They won 18 of the 23 Tests they played at this venue losing in only two.

46 – Kagiso Rabada claimed 46 wickets in Test matches in 2018. He featured in nine Tests this year and averages 20.39 with the ball. Rabada picked up 57 Test wickets in 2017 and now has a chance of becoming the first South African with 50 Test wickets in consecutive calendar years if he bags four wickets in the Boxing Day Test.

78 – Number of wickets Yasir Shah has claimed in his last ten Test matches. He picked up eight five-wicket hauls in these 10 Tests including his career-best bowling figures of 8/41.

90 – Keshav Maharaj needs ten more wickets for completing 100 wickets in Test cricket. The left-arm spinner (96 wickets) needs four more wickets for reaching 100 International wickets.

421 – Dale Steyn needs one more wicket for becoming the leading wicket-taker in Test cricket for South Africa. He is currently tied with Shaun Pollock with 421 wickets in this format.

1925 – Quinton de Kock needs 75 more runs to complete 2000 runs in Test cricket. The keeper-batsman is only 68 runs away from completing 7000 runs in International cricket having scored 6932 runs thus far.