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We are all set to begin!
Pakistan (Unchanged Playing XI) - Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (C/WK), Kamran Ghulam, Salman Agha, Irfan Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.
South Africa (Playing XI) - Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma (C) (In place of Ryan Rickelton), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen (WK), David Miller (In place of Tristan Stubbs), Marco Jansen, Andile Phehlukwayo, Bjorn Fortuin (In place of Ottneil Baartman), Kwena Maphaka (In place of Kagiso Rabada and On Debut), Tabraiz Shamsi.
TOSS - South Africa have won the toss and elected to BOWL first.
With Kagiso Rabada and Ottneil Baartman taking two wickets each in the opener, South Africa will need a sharper performance from their bowling attack to level the series. Pakistan, meanwhile, will look to seal the series with another spirited performance. Can the Proteas bounce back, or will Pakistan clinch the series in Cape Town? Stay tuned to find out as we bring you the Toss and other pre-match excitement.
Pakistan’s chase began shakily, with Abdullah Shafique falling for a duck. Saim Ayub and Babar Azam steadied the innings briefly before the skipper departed. Mohammad Rizwan’s struggles continued, but Saim Ayub anchored the innings with a sublime century, supported by Agha Salman, who contributed a half-century and struck the winning runs in the final over.
The series opener saw South Africa make a late change, replacing the injured Keshav Maharaj with Andile Phehlukwayo. However, Maharaj has since been ruled out of the series, with Bjorn Fortuin named as his replacement. The Proteas will also welcome back David Miller, who missed the first match, while regular skipper Temba Bavuma is expected to return after being rested. In Paarl, South Africa opted to bat first and started well, with Tony de Zorzi and Ryan Rickelton adding 70 runs for the opening wicket. But Agha Salman turned the game on its head with a stellar spell, claiming four wickets in his first four overs, including key dismissals of de Zorzi, Rickelton, Rassie van der Dussen, and Tristan Stubbs. Heinrich Klaasen fought back with a resilient half-century, supported by Aiden Markram and later Marco Jansen, but South Africa managed only 239/9.
Hello and a warm welcome to our coverage of Pakistan vs South Africa 2nd ODI. After a nail-biting finish in Paarl, the ODI series between South Africa and Pakistan moves to Cape Town for the second match at Newlands. With Pakistan leading 1-0 after a last-over victory in the opener, the Proteas face a must-win scenario to stay alive in the series.
... MATCH DAY ...
The caravan moves to Newlands in Cape Town for the second ODI of the three-match series between South Africa and Pakistan. After suffering a defeat in the series opener, the hosts are aiming for a quick turnaround to keep the series alive. In the opener, it was a story of squandered starts for the Proteas, with Heinrich Klaasen being the only one to post a substantial total, helping them reach 239. In reply, Pakistan found themselves in choppy waters, but a century from Saim Ayub and Salman Agha’s unbeaten 82 guided them over the line. The hosts will take heart from the fact that they managed to stretch the game to the final over and created a wobble for the visitors towards the end. However, South Africa's spin bowling resources have taken a hit, with Keshav Maharaj missing the last game due to a calf strain. A scan the day before the game will potentially provide more clarity on his availability. If he misses out, Tabraiz Shamsi will have to shoulder the burden, with no other frontline spin option available on the bench. This adds to the growing concerns for South Africa, who were already without David Miller due to a calf strain in the first game and their designated ODI skipper, Temba Bavuma, who was rested to manage his workload. The hosts will be hoping that at least one, if not both, of these key players to return for this must-win game. As for Pakistan, Saim Ayub has made the world take notice of his talent with performances across the two white-ball formats in this tour. However, the likes of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are yet to have an impactful knock, and the Pakistan fans will be hoping for a better showing from the experienced duo. Earlier this year, the Newlands surface came into the spotlight when the Test between South Africa and India lasted just 642 balls, making it the shortest result Test in the game's history, with pacers dominating the proceedings. With this being the first international game at the venue since that Test, it will be interesting to see how the pitch behaves towards the end of the year. Will the Proteas bounce back and force a series decider? Or will Pakistan seal the series with a game to go? We shall find out.
