On a day when 701 runs were scored in the India-Australia ODI in Nagpur, fans of the 50-over format were reminded of the drama of a low-scoring thriller, as South Africa nudged out Pakistan by one run in a tense game. However, if AB de Villiers has his way, it’s unlikely there will be any more tight matches in the series.
De Villiers hoped the win would act as a catalyst for South Africa, creating more consistent one-day form for a team that has struggled to hit the high notes they find with ease in the longer format. “You need a win like this sometimes to turn things around,” de Villiers said, while admitting he does not know why the batting line-up continues to fail. “We are not getting partnerships going; not playing well together as a batting unit. I believe we will get there.”
Graeme Smith’s return has added some stability but South Africa’s middle order is still shaky. Technique, although something that cannot be altered overnight, in the UAE conditions and against a crafty spin attack is still being exposed even as the bowlers continue to save the team blushes.
Pakistan are in the same state. Their bowling attack is capable of putting the team in positions of advantage that their batsmen continually squander. They will have to find a way to play their former countryman Imran Tahir and keep runs flowing while the South Africa seamers are in operation.
For now, it remains a contest that resembles a bowl-off between two aggressive attacks feasting on two limp line-ups. In a game ruled by batsmen, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, although both teams would prefer to score more runs.
Form guide
Pakistan LWWLW (last five completed games most recent first)
South Africa WLLWL
Team news
Pakistan (likely) 1 Nasir Jamshed, 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 5 Umar Amin/Asad Shafiq/Sohaib Maqsood, 6 Umar Akmal/Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Sohail Tanvir, 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Mohammad Irfan
South Africa (likely) 1 Graeme Smith, 2 Quinton de Kock, 3 JP Duminy, 4 Faf du Plessis, 5 AB de Villiers (capt & wk), 6 David Miller, 7 Ryan McLaren, 8 Wayne Parnell, 9 Morne Morkel, 10 Lonwabo Tsotsobe, 11 Imran Tahir