ABHISHEK SINGH ∙ 12 Feb 2021
Pakistan eye series win as young, energetic Proteas aim to draw level
The Pakistani team defeated a young but talented South African side, only just by three runs, to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series at the Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore. The Babar Azam led side would now be looking to get over with the series by winning the next game and securing an unassailable 2-0 lead. On the other hand, Heinrich Klassen’s men would like to take one more step and finish the game this time around to push the series into the decider on Sunday.
The last match went down to the wire unexpectedly in a way that the South African team wasn’t backed to deliver the goods that it did with both bat and ball.
Pakistan’s wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan was the hero of the match, hitting an amazing hundred and taking the game away from the Rainbow nation. However, the likes of Tabrez Shamsi and Bjorn Fortuin tried to pull things back.
In the chase too the South African young guns in Janneman Malan and Reeza Hendricks did well to give the team a great start. Usman Qadir, the Pakistan debutant spinner was equally good and brought the team back in the game. His brilliant spell was followed well by the pacers Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf.
Although Pakistan finally got the victory, in no respect the young South African were an easy pushover. It is this fighting spirit of their that gives hope for another cracking game at the Gadaffi Stadium on 13th February.
Pakistan vs South Africa: Match Details
Match Number-2
Date and Time: Feb 13, 2021, 6:30:00 PM IST, 06:00 PM Local, 01: 00 pm GMT
Venue: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
Broadcast and Live Stream: Sony Ten and Sony LIV
Players to look out for
Pakistan
Mohammed Rizwan: Having become the first Pakistani and only the second wicketkeeper in the world to hit a century in all formats of the game, Rizwan would be brimming with confidence in this game. He displayed a huge range of shots to satisfy the coach and team management that promoting him to open was a great decision.
Usman Qadir: Slower through the air, deceptive in his flight and with a high percentage of dot balls in his kitty from his debut game, Qadir promises to be a great prospect. Probably taking a cue from the legendary leg spinner Abdul Qadir, with whom he shares the surname, Qadir is working up the ladder and could be a bright prospect for future, even in longer formats.
Strongest XI
Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c), Haider Ali, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Usman Qadir, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf
South Africa
Reeza Hendricks: A perfect fit for the T20 format, Hedricks has shown a lot of potential in the 26 games that he has played so far. But it seems that now is the time he starts cashing in that potential with some match-winning knocks. His 54 in the last innings was a good anchor inning, but the team would be expecting more from him, especially in the prevailing situation where he is one of the senior pros in the side.
Tabrez Shamsi: Shamsi, one of those bowlers who would give a wicket every match no matter what has now turned effective by being economical in the middle overs as well. It is spells like his last one (1-20 in 4 overs) that give other bowlers to try different things to pick wickets, even if it costs some runs.
Strongest XI
Janneman Malan, Reeza Hendricks, Jacques Snyman, Heinrich Klaasen (c & wk), David Miller, Dwaine Pretorius, Andile Phehlukwayo, Bjorn Fortuin, George Linde, Lutho Sipamla, Tabraiz Shamsi
Pitch Report
The pitch in the first match was typical Lahore wicket and even after a lot of dew, offered something for the spinners even in the second innings, if they bowled slower through the air. Expecting swing in the first innings would be too much, but the fast bowlers can hope that the ball would skid on. In such a situation, they would look to vary the pace and keep the batsmen guessing.
For batsmen, it’s as good as it gets as they get true value for their shots.
Weather and Report
It is going to be chilly in the evening as expected in the northern parts of the Sub-Continent at this time of the year. The clouds would keep on passing, maybe in a failed attempt to curtail the amount of dew, because the dew would be a permanent phenomenon in the evening. There is no doubt that the effect of the dew would be felt more in the evening.
Thus the skipper winning the toss would choose to bowl first.