Predicting South Africa’s Playing XI for their clash against Pakistan in ODI Tri-series

The new-look South Africa will play the hosts Pakistan in the third ODI of the ongoing Tri-Nation Series. The virtual semi-final of the Tri-Nation competition will be played at Karachi’s National Stadium on February 12, at 2:30 PM (IST). It will be a do-or-die match for both teams to secure a spot in the Final to face New Zealand for the Trophy. 

Temba Bavuma’s men have been through a miserable run of form in their last five ODIs, facing five consecutive defeats. They are coming off a 6-wicket defeat against New Zealand in the previous game following a 0-3 defeat in the three-match home ODI series against Pakistan last year in December. 

Given that, here we’ll have a look at the predicted playing XI of South Africa for their next clash against Pakistan. 

Openers:

The opening pair of South Africa will look the same as star in-form batter Matthew Breetzke and skipper Temba Bavuma are expected to open the innings for their side in the next game. Breetzke scored an outstanding century in the last game, hitting 150 runs off 148 balls, with 11 fours and five sixes. He was one of the main pillars in the Proteas batting setup to help the team post a total of 304 runs for the loss of 6 wickets. 

Bavuma could score only 20 runs off 23 balls, with three fours but he will eye a strong comeback in the upcoming clash against the hosts. So, the SA management will eye going with the same opening pair of Breetzke and Bavuma. 

Middle-Order:

The Proteas middle order will start with the in-form number three batter Jason Smith, who aggregated 41 runs in the last game. He will be followed by the wicketkeeper-batter Kyle Verreynne at number four to add some important runs in the middle overs. 

Besides these, Wiaan Mulder might bat at number five; he played a crucial half-century knock in the previous fixture against the Kiwis, scoring 64 runs off 60 balls, with three fours and a six.

All-Rounders:

Senuran Muthusamy and Mihiali Mpongwana could make it to the playing XI as the all-rounders for the next game against Pakistan. Muthusamy scalped 2 wickets in the last game, he can also contribute with important runs with the bat in the lower middle-order. 

Besides Muthusamy, Mihiali Mpongwana will also be there to leave an impact both with the bat and the ball. Mpongwana can be quite useful for South Africa in the lower order of the batting to get the team to a big total. 

Bowlers:

The bowling quartet of the South African team will be a mix of both experienced and young pacers. The star spinner Tabraiz Shamsi and the veteran pacers, Lungi Ngidi, and Junior Dala will be joined by the young pacer Eathan Bosch. 

Junior Dala and Bosch scalped a wicket each in the previous game against New Zealand. They will look ahead to improve their numbers in the game against Pakistan. On the other hand, Tabraiz Shamsi and Lungi Ngidi will also eye living up to the team’s expectations in this virtual knock-out game of the Tri-Nation series. 

Disclaimer: This Exclusive News is based on the author’s understanding, analysis, and instinct. As you review this information, consider the points mentioned and form your own conclusions.

For more exclusive updates Visit BJSports to access Exclusive News that is only for you, incisive analysis, and updates, and to keep up with all of the latest information on your remarkable cricket favorite players and teams. To ensure you never miss out, join in on the fun right away!