Pakistan
South Africa
Pakistan will aim to seal the series when they face South Africa in the 2nd ODI at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad. The hosts started the series strongly with a confident win while chasing in the first ODI. Pakistan captain Shaheen Afridi took over the ODI captaincy from Mohammad Rizwan and began his ODI tenure with his first win.
Pakistan have managed 2 wins in their last 5 ODIs, showing improvement in their middle-order consistency and bowling balance. On the other hand, South Africa has also recorded 2 wins and 3 losses in their last 5 matches, struggling to finish games in the middle overs.
Historically, Pakistan have dominated South Africa in recent ODIs, winning all of their last 5 head-to-head encounters. Out of these, 3 wins came while chasing and 2 while defending, showing their all-round superiority in this format against South Africa.
Quinton de Kock and Lhuan-dre Pretorius showed better composure and timing against the new ball in the first ODI, making South Africa more likely to post a stronger opening stand again.
The betting tip is...
Highest Opening Partnership - South Africa
60 %
40 %
PakistanSouth AfricaPakistan are likely to go unchanged for the 2nd ODI after their solid win in the series opener. Openers Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub will look to continue their positive start after scoring 45 and 39 respectively in the first match.
Babar Azam will aim for a comeback after getting out in single digits, while Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha will remain key in the middle order after their match-winning partnership of fifty-plus scores each.
Among the all-rounders, Salman Agha, Faheem Ashraf, and Mohammad Nawaz will provide balance with both bat and ball. Naseem Shah and Abrar Ahmed, who took three wickets each, will again lead the attack with support from Shaheen Shah Afridi and Saim Ayub. Shaheen will be the key bowler with 27 wickets in 13 innings over the past year.
Zaman, Ayub and Rizwan are the key batters in the team.
Predicted Lineup: Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Agha, Hussain Talat, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi (c), Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed.
South Africa is expected to field the same playing XI for the 2nd ODI after a competitive performance in the opening match. Debuts were handed to Sinethemba Qeshile, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, and Donovan Ferreira, with Pretorius impressing at the top with 57 off 60 balls.
Quinton de Kock anchored the innings with 63 off 71, while Matthew Breetzke added 42 at number four. Tony de Zorzi and debutant Qeshile could not make an impact, but Corbin Bosch’s 41 in the lower order helped push the total to 263 all out.
With the ball, Lungi Ngidi, Ferreira, and Bosch took two wickets each, while George Linde and Bjorn Fortuin picked one apiece. Ngidi will remain the key bowler with 16 wickets in his last 8 innings.
De Kock, Pretorius and Breetzke are the key batters in the team.
Predicted Lineup: Quinton de Kock (wk), Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Tony de Zorzi, Matthew Breetzke (c), Sinethemba Qeshile, Donovan Ferreira, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Bjorn Fortuin, Lungi Ngidi, Lizaad Williams
Pakistan will start as favourites again, especially with their strong record at home and against South Africa in recent years. Their bowling unit, led by Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah, will likely trouble South Africa’s middle order once again. However, South Africa’s openers looked in good touch in the first ODI, with Quinton de Kock and Lhuan-dre Pretorius scoring half-centuries and giving a steady start.
Pakistan’s openers also contributed, but the Proteas’ top two looked more settled and confident against the new ball. Pakistan’s depth and bowling balance make them favourites to win the match. South Africa’s top order has De Kock’s experience and Pretorius’ fearless approach, which will set the tone early by building a stronger opening partnership as compared to Pakistan’s openers.
