Connect with us

News & Articles

Pakistan vs South Africa – 2nd Test Preview – A Rare Opportunity for Pakistan

Pakistan vs South Africa – 2nd Test Preview – A Rare Opportunity for Pakistan

Pakistan vs South Africa – 2nd Test Preview – A Rare Opportunity for Pakistan

5,482 days…That is how long it has been since Pakistan won that famous 2006 Karachi test against India. That is also how long it has been since Pakistan last had a home series victory in tests against a top 6 test nation. Granted, much of that was out of its control but this second test in Rawalpindi presents an exceedingly rare opportunity for Pakistan, and one it must grasp.

The first test of this series showed Pakistan’s resolve, its ability to win the small moments and to not let minor setbacks get in the way of a thoroughly professional performance. The second, and final, test must now show Pakistan’s ability to follow up.

A2A IPTV

South Africa will come back and will come back hard on a pitch that has traditionally been known to provide more for a potent pace attack. They will be further inspired to do so having recently learned that Australia will be pulling out of their South African tour later this year, making this the final test of the season for the Proteas.

The historic first class record alludes to that same fact with 498 wickets credited to fast bowlers versus just 72 for spin. However, if early images are to be seen, it looks like we will be seeing a much drier surface than tradition. Pakistani Captain Babar Azam confirms the same, “The Pindi wicket is of course different to Karachi but this time it isn’t one to play four specialist fast bowlers on.”

This likely means that we will see an unchanged XI from Pakistan’s first test barring any last minute injuries. From South Africa’s side however, there are a number of injury concerns and strategic choices that could have them field a markedly different lineup than what was seen in the first test.

Key Players

Babar Azam will be keen to put a disappointing batting performance in the 1st test in the rearview mirror as he comes to a ground where he has scored 2 hundreds on the trot. Having spent a lot of time working on his game against spin in the lead up to this 2nd test, he will be eager to stamp his class and authority on a match where runs are likely to be available for those willing to spend time at the crease.

Quinton de Kock has not had a good run as test captain. So much so that it has been announced that he will be “freed of the burden” of test captaincy after this match. Having scored a mere 45 runs in 4 innings since taking on the role he will be looking to get back on track. Both dismissals in the previous test were disappointing ones and his temperament will be tested once again by the Pakistani spinners. However, batting at #5 he must be the anchor for South Africa if they are to salvage a draw from this series.

 

 

Day 1 of the 2nd test gets underway February 4th at 12 AM Eastern Time. Follow Sportstrends for all of the latest as it develops and watch live on the MaxJeff show as we discuss everything leading up to the start of play.

 

 

Potential Squads

Pakistan: 1 Imran Butt, 2 Abid Ali, 3 Azhar Ali,4 Babar Azam (capt), 5 Fawad Alam, 6 Mohammed Rizwan (wk) 7 Faheem Ashraf, 8 Hasan Ali, 9 Nouman Ali, 10 Yasir Shah, 11 Shaheen Shah Afridi

South Africa: 1 Dean Elgar, 2 Aiden Markram, 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Faf du Plessis, 5 Quinton de Kock (capt, wk), 6 Temba Bavuma, 7 Wiaan Mulder, 8 Keshav Maharaj/George Linde, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Tabraiz Shamsi/Lungi Ngidi, 11 Anrich Nortje

 

Karachi Highway Karahi, Mississauga Canada

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

17 + 15 =

About

SportsTrends: Committed to promote Canadian sports, specially Cricket, from East Coast to West Coast across North America by covering Canadian domestic cricket on mainstream television. Recognizing domestic players, leagues, club cricket, non-registered clubs like street cricket, tape-ball.

News

Advertisement

Must See

    More in News & Articles