Grass will be GREENER on which side? South Africa or Pakistan?
If you are a fan of South African cricket, perhaps your joy knows no bounds. The calm and composed bunch of gentlemen from South Africa have done nothing wrong from the moment they stepped onto the Indian soil for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. If that unexpected Netherlands’ match is kept aside, the Proteas have ticked all boxes and are comfortably sitting at number two position in the points table. They take on Pakistan next, a team that has lot to ponder about. They have already manufactured a batting collapse, and their bowling and fielding have looked ordinary. Besides winning their first two matches, Pakistan seem to have suddenly forgotten the success formula in their last three exam papers. Can the 1992 World Champions stop South Africa from registering their third straight win?
The 26th match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 will be played between South Africa and Pakistan on October 27 at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Head-to-Head
South Africa and Pakistan have played 82 ODIs against each other between 1992 and 2021, of which South Africa have won 51, Pakistan have won 30, with one match not producing a result. In India, they have played one ODI, with South Africa winning that by 124 runs in 2006. At the World Cups, South Africa have won three and lost two, with Pakistan emerging victorious in their last two meetings in 2015 and 2019.
| Particulars | South Africa | Pakistan |
| ICC ODI Rankings | 3 | 2 |
| Wins in ODIs | 51 | 30 |
| In India | 1 | 0 |
| At World Cups | 3 | 2 |
Performance in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 so far…
South Africa and England will play their sixth match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. While South Africa have won four and lost one, Pakistan have won two and lost three of their matches.
| Match number | South Africa | Pakistan |
| 1 | Beat Sri Lanka by 102 runs | Beat Netherlands by 81 runs |
| 2 | Beat Australia by 134 runs | Beat Sri Lanka by 6 wickets |
| 3 | Lost to Netherlands by 38 runs | Lost to India by 7 wickets |
| 4 | Beat England by 229 runs | Lost to Australia by 62 runs |
| 5 | Beat Bangladesh by 149 runs | Lost to Afghanistan by 8 wickets |
Squads
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams.
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim.
Injury updates
South Africa’s regular captain Temba Bavuma has missed the last two matches due to illness. Aiden Markram has led South Africa in his absence. If Bavuma is unfit for Pakistan match, Markram will continue to lead the team. For Pakistan, the left-handed opening batter Fakhar Zaman, who played just one match in the World Cup has missed the remaining four due to knee injury. He was likely to be a part of the training session before the South Africa match. It will be interesting to see if Zaman is fit, whom does he replace, given the fact that Abdulla Shafique who came into the team has done very well scoring 255 runs in four matches.
Playing conditions
MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai will host the encounter between South Africa and Pakistan. It will be a day night match. The venue will host its fifth and last match of this tournament. Of the four matches played here, the teams batting first have won one and the teams batting second have won three. The highest total scored is 288 and the lowest is 139. The conditions will continue to remain conducive for batting. However, the spinners could have an important role to play.
Weather
The weather is expected to be humid. The maximum temperature attained during the day will be 32 degrees Celsius. There will be 71% cloud cover and 4% chance of rain. The wind will blow from the north-east.
Players to watch out for
Having scored a belligerent 174 in his last outing against Bangladesh in Mumbai, South Africa’s left-handed opening batter Quinton de Kock will once again grab all the attention. He is the top run scorer in this tournament so far with 407 runs in five matches at an average of 81 and strike rate of 115. Besides, the pace trio of Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, and Gerald Coetzee have been impressive as they have picked up 10 wickets apiece.
With 302 runs in five matches, Pakistan’s wicket-keeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan has been the most prolific one for his team in this World Cup. He averages 76 and has a strike rate of 96. Apart from him, Shaheen Afridi, who will play his 50th ODI today will be expected to deliver with the ball. He has been bowling well with the new ball and in the backend of the innings, claiming 10 wickets in five matches, including one fifer.
Milestones alert
- Aiden Markram needs 70 runs to complete 2000 ODI runs
- Quinton de Kock (3) is one century away from equalling AB de Villiers (4) who has the most centuries for South Africa in World Cups
- Mohammad Rizwan needs 5 runs to complete 2000 ODI runs
- Hasan Ali needs 1 wicket to complete 100 ODI wickets
- Shaheen Afridi will play his 50th ODI and needs 4 wickets to complete 100 ODI wickets
Match details
Date: October 27, 2023
Time: 2:00 PM IST
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Live streaming: Star Sports, Hotstar
All the statistics are sourced from ESPN Cricinfo