Having narrowly lost the first ODI in Centurion, South Africa will look to bounce back against Pakistan’s high-flying team in the second match on Sunday April 4.
Overview
South Africa vs Pakistan, 2nd ODI
Supersport Park, Centurion
Sunday April 4; 10 am local time; 2 pm GMT
Pakistan fared better after a first ODI thriller, which went down to the last ball of the match. Rassie van der Dussen’s 123 hit was to no avail, as the 171-run second-field partnership between Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq helped Pakistan climb 1-0 in the series.
That meant South Africa will now face a life and death match when the teams meet again. Given the fact that South Africa will also not feature five of its star players: Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, David Miller and Quinton de Kock have all received permission to link their respective franchises before IPL 2021, their task cut off.
Pakistan will be safe. Their captain Babar Azam looked splendid during his 103 match winner in the first ODI, a milestone that made him the fastest ODI in 13 centuries. His bowlers, who got off to a great start in the first ODI, will be looking to build on that start.
Remembering the last time
After being asked to hit, South Africa’s top order collapsed and the hosts were down to 55/4. The partnership of Rassie van der Dussen and David Miller helped revive the innings, and Van der Dussen scored an undefeated 123 * to bring South Africa’s total to 273.
Pakistan responded well, despite the early loss of Fakhar Zaman, with Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam anchoring the persecution. Azam reached his thirteenth century ODI, and Imam’s 70s were valuable. A subsequent crash meant South Africa was back in the game, but Mohammad Rizwan and Shadab Khan’s partnership of 53 helped them cross the line.
What they say
Babar Azam (captain of Pakistan): “To be honest, when the grounds fell, I was nervous and the pressure was building with that Nortje spell. He pitched extremely well. Hopefully we will learn from our mistakes. We need to carry the confidence of this win to the next game and hopefully close the series. “.
Temba Bavuma (South African captain): “It is not the result we were looking for, but a good cricket match. We were tested in all departments and tested to our limits. A good start to the series, but we have areas to improve. “
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