Pakistan and South Africa clash in the first of three T20 Internationals on Tuesday the 28th of October, with the series opener at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Both teams have had a busy few months leading up to this encounter, and their recent results suggest we could be in for a tightly contested series. Below, we take a closer look at both squads, recent form, and key betting insights ahead of the first match.
PAKISTAN
Pakistan enter the T20 series in good form, having enjoyed a productive run of results across various series in recent months. They impressed with wins over Afghanistan, UAE and Bangladesh, and although they suffered a few setbacks against India recently where they lost all three matches, their overall performances have shown significant improvement and squad depth. They performed well against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in September, where they faced each side once, winning by 5 wickets and 11 runs respectively.
Led by Salman Ali Agha, Pakistan’s top order looks settled Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman adding stability and firepower. Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah lead the pace department, backed by the spin of Abrar Ahmed, making Pakistan particularly dangerous on home soil where conditions suit their strengths perfectly.
Pakistan T20 Squad to face South Africa:
Pakistan T20 Squad: 1. Salman Ali Agha (c), 2. Abdul Samad, 3. Abrar Ahmed, 4. Babar Azam, 5. Faheem Ashraf, 6. Hasan Nawaz, 7. Mohammad Nawaz, 8. Mohammad Wasim Jnr, 9. Mohammad Salman Mirza, 10. Naseem Shah, 11. Sahibzada Farhan, 12. Saim Ayub, 13. Shaheen Shah Afridi, 14. Usman Khan (wk), 15. Usman Tariq
Reserves: 1. Fakhar Zaman, 2. Haris Rauf, 3. Sufiyan Moqim
SOUTH AFRICA
South Africa travel to Pakistan after a mixed few months of T20 format. They came out of August with a narrow 2–1 series loss against Australia, highlighted by a 53-run victory in Darwin. Thereafter their form remained inconsistent against England and Namibia. A narrow 14-run win in Cardiff over England was followed by two disappointing losses, including a heavy 146 run defeat at Old Trafford and a surprise 4 wicket loss to Namibia earlier this month.
Although they have battled to find winning form, South Africa’s squad remains filled with proven match winners. Donovan Fereira captains a balanced unit featuring Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks and Dewald Brevis in the top order, all capable of changing the game quickly.
Their bowling attack carries real talent too, with Kwena Maphaka, Lungi Ngidi and Nandre Burger offering pace and bounce, complemented by the spin of Nqaba Peter and George Linde.
South African side to take on Pakistan:
South Africa T20 Squad: 1. Donovan Fereira (c), 2. Corbin Bosch, 3. Dewald Brevis, 4. Nandre Burger, 5. Gerald Coetzee, 6. Quinton de Kock, 7. Matthew Breetzke, 8. Reeza Hendricks, 9. George Linde, 10. Kwena Maphaka, 11. Lungi Ngidi, 12. Nqaba Peter, 13. Lhuan-dré Pretorius, 14. Andile Simelane, 15. Lizaad Williams
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The recent meetings between Pakistan and South Africa have produced entertaining and evenly matched results. In November 2022, Pakistan claimed a 33-run win at the Sydney Cricket Ground, but South Africa hit back in 2024, winning both encounters on home soil, by 11 runs at Kingsmead and 7 wickets at SuperSport Park in December.
BETTING:
Pakistan 1.77
South Africa 2.15
SUGGESTED BETS:
Top Pakistan Batsman – Babar Azam at 3.25
Babar has been one of Pakistan’s most consistent performers in T20 cricket with bat in hand, often anchoring the innings and capable of building a big score on home turf.
Top South African Bowler – Lungi Ngidi at 3.40
Ngidi’s bounce and movement with the new ball make him a key wicket taking threat for the Proteas and I see him delivering solid figures to start the series.
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