Pakistan tour to South Africa 2021 [Preview]
Pakistan is scheduled to tour South Africa in the month of April to play Three ODIs and four T20Is, starting from 2nd April in Centurion. The visitors will kick-start their tour with three-match ODI series that will be played across two venues- Centurion and Johannesburg.
South Africa have announced their ODI and T20I squads for the upcoming home series against Pakistan. Temba Bavuma will lead the side for the three-match ODI series, while Aiden Markram has made a comeback to the limited-overs squad. Uncapped pacers Sisanda Magala and Lizaard Williams have been named in the ODI squad for the three-match series.
For the T20I series, Kyle Verreynne, Migael Pretorius, Lizaard Williams, Sisanda Magala and Wihan Lubbe are five uncapped players named in the setup. Temba Bavuma will also captain the T20I side for the four-match series against Pakistan.
On the other hand, Saud Shakeel, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Usman Qadir, Danish Aziz are five uncapped named in Pakistan’s ODI squad for South Africa series. Babar Azam will lead the side for the one-day series, while Mohammad Rizwan will be first-choice keeper for the side for the whole tour.
For the T20I series, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Danish Aziz, Arshad Iqbal and Usman Qadir are four uncapped players picked for the South Africa series. Mohammad Hafeez, Shadab Khan, Sharjeel Khan and Hasan Ali make their comeback to the T20I squad. The inclusion of the experienced players will definitely bolster the batting and bowling resources for Pakistan for this tour of South Africa.
For ODI series, the onus will be on the likes of Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen to deliver the bulk of the runs.
Since making his limited-overs debut, Rassie van der Dussen has accumulated 707 runs in 21 innings at an average of 70.70 with seven half-centuries to his name.
There will be opportunities for the likes of Janneman Malan, Kyle Verreynne, and Aiden Markram to showcase their skills.
In the bowling department, the side will be relying on pace trio of Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi to make early inroads with the new-ball. Sisanda Magala, Lizaard Williams, Lutho Sipamla, Daryn Dupavillion, Junior Dala and Beuran Hendricks are other seam bowling options for the series.
Wiann Mulder, Andile Phehlukwayo and JJ Smuts are three genuine all-rounders picked in the ODI squad for Pakistan series.
Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi are two premier spinners named in the squad for the three-match series.
For the T20I series, the onus will be on likes of Temba Bavuma, Reeza Hendricks and Quinton de Kock to make notable scores in this game.
Opener Reeza Hendricks has been a bankable player with the bat for South Africa. In the T20 format since Jan 2019, Hendricks has scored 421 runs at an average of 30.07 with four half-centuries to his name.
The likes of Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen will be given the responsibility to pile on the runs in the later stages of the innings.
The opening game of the one-day series will be played at SuperSport Park in Centurion on 2nd April. The second game will be played at The Wanderers in Johannesburg on 4th April. The third and final game will be played at Centurion on 7th April.
After conclusion, the first two matches of the T20I series will be played at The Wanderers in Johannesburg on 10th and 12th April. The final two matches will be played at SuperSport Park in Centurion on 14th and 16th April.
With two evenly-matched squads, it is certainly going to be mouth-watering contests in the ODI and T20I series.
