Pakistan are set to lock horns with South Africa in the next fixture of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. The match is slated to take place at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday.
After recording two wins in their opening fixtures, the Men in Green haven’t been able to extend their win tally further and lost all their fixtures since then. South Africa, on the flip side, faced only one defeat, and that too came very unexpectedly, against the Netherlands. Other than that, the Proteas are having a great season so far.
South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma and fast bowler Lungi Ngidi are doubtful of making it to the playing XI of their squad in the next match. Bavuma missed Bangladesh and England games due to illness while Ngidi wasn't a part of their clash against the Tigers due to a niggle in the ankle. While the team remains optimistic about their return to the field soon, no official confirmation has been made yet.
A surprise slip against the Netherlands aside, South Africa have enjoyed a stellar first half of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 League Stage. Racking up three 300+ and one 400+ scores in their first five games, the South Africans are comfortably the highest-scoring team in the tournament so far and look set to qualify for the knockout stage, barring any late mishaps.
Pakistan, meanwhile, have faltered after a brilliant start; they have lost their last three games against India, Australia, and, surprisingly, Afghanistan after winning their opening pair against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka, respectively. With the tailing teams threatening to catch up to them, and a playoff spot still just out of reach, Pakistan will hope to use the match against South Africa as the springboard to propel themselves into the final four.
Besting the South Africans, however, won’t be easy. Betting on the explosive might of Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, and Heinrich Klaasen, South Africa have blown teams out of the water in four of their five games so far. Pakistan are yet to hit the same heights, but they do possess an outstanding bowling attack to stop the South African onslaught in its wake.
Both Pakistan and South Africa skippers came on top of two out of three tosses they have played in the ODI World Cup 2023 so far. For the forthcoming match, we think Pakistan skipper Babar Azam is likely to have luck on his side, and he will win the toss over his rival captain.
Pakistan and South Africa have played 82 ODI matches. Out of those 81 matches, South Africa won 51 matches, while Pakistan emerged victorious in 30 games, while one match ended without a result. In addition to this, if we consider the ongoing season of the marquee ICC tournament, South Africa are clearly dominating the season. Hence, we think the Proteas will extend their win tally further by taking down their Asian counterparts in the upcoming game.
The MA Chidambaram Stadium of Chennai has hosted a total of 26 ODI matches. Speaking about the 2023 season of the World Cup, the Chepauk Stadium is set to host the final fixture of the tournament. The average first inning score of the venue is 233, and we think it will hover around 250-270 in the next game. Speaking of the powerplay, it is expected to lie somewhere between 45-50
