KARACHI: The last time Pakistan played a One-day International against South Africa, they completed a whitewash over the side, that too away from home.
When the two teams clash on Wednesday, they will on Pakistan’s home turf here at the recently-renovated National Bank Stadium.
And the tri-nation series contest is set to be a virtual semi-final, with New Zealand having sealed their place in Friday’s finale with clinical wins against both Pakistan and South Africa in Lahore.
South Africa will go into the match with a number of their first-choice players rested and less experienced players given the opportunity to vie for a regular place in the side.
While that would relieve the visitors from some pressure, it will be the other way around for Pakistan, who are full-strength, at home, and one defeat away from being deprived of playing the final in front of home fans.
Mohammad Rizwan and co have worries to deal with. Their batters, barring Fakhar Zaman, looked toothless against New Zealand. Their spinners didn’t pose real threats and their pacers were taken to the cleaners.
The belief in the side’s dressing room seems to be quite a straightforward one; it was a bad day at office.
“Cricket depends on performances on the given day,” Pakistan batter Tayyab Tahir said in the pre-match press conference here on Tuesday. “Sometimes things don’t go your way, and people start analysing weaknesses based on one match. At the end of the day, one team has to win, and the other has to lose. The team that plays better on the day comes out victorious.”
Tayyab was Pakistan’s third-highest run-maker in the New Zealand fixture with 30, before the right-hander fell prey to a brilliant catch by Glenn Phillips.
He played at number six to make that contribution, despite being a regular higher up the order in domestic cricket. Meanwhile, former skipper Babar Azam has been promoted to the opening position as Pakistan experiment days ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy, which starts next week.
“When you play cricket at a professional level, you need to be prepared to perform at any position,” Tayyab said. “As a batsman, I don’t focus on which number I am batting at, whether it’s six, one, or two. My job is to execute my skills wherever I get the opportunity.”
Pakistan will be without Haris Rauf for the fixture, the pace bowler having been advised to rest after sustaining a muscular sprain in the lower chest wall during the New Zealand match.
Left-arm fast bowler Akif Javed has been called up in Haris’ place with the Pakistan Cricket Board stating that “the replacement is only for the tri-nations series”. “Haris Rauf is expected to be fully fit and available for selection for the Champions Trophy 2025.”
For South Africa, Wednesday’s match would be an opportunity to avenge Pakistan for the recent 3-0 drubbing at their hands.
“Of course, winning against them would be great,” South African batter Heinrich Klassen said. “They’ve played good cricket over the past few months, but they’ve also been on the road for a long time.
“We need to play solid cricket and focus on the bigger picture. The ICC Champions Trophy is around the corner, and if we can knock Pakistan out and secure a spot in the final on their home soil, that would certainly bring a smile to my face.”
But Klassen added that Pakistan was a completely different challenge compared to other places in the world. “Their bowlers will have specific plans, which will differ from what we face in South Africa,” he observed.
While the Proteas were impressive with the bat against New Zealand in their six-wicket loss, they struggled to make a difference with the ball. “Many of our players got an opportunity yesterday, and they performed well,” Klassen noted.
“New Zealand had already played Pakistan recently, so they had some experience. For a young team like ours, we did well overall. Tomorrow’s match is crucial for the series. We played Pakistan not too long ago, but playing them in their home conditions is always a different challenge.”
Squads:
PAKISTAN: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Akif Javed, Salman Agha, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Tayyab Tahir, Usman Khan
SOUTH AFRICA: Temba Bavuma (captain), Eathan Bosch, Matthew Breetzke, Junior Dala, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Mihlali Mpongwana, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Gideon Peters, Meeka-eel Prince, Jason Smith, Kyle Verreynne
Published in Dawn, February 12th, 2025
