The upcoming ODI series between South Africa and Pakistan will be more about the teams finding the right balance ahead of the 2015 World Cup
The Preview Firdose Moonda23-Nov-2013
Match facts
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Start time 10.00 local (0800 GMT)Pakistan will be looking to avoid the batting collapses that have plagued them lately•AFP
Big Picture
Pakistan produced their best batting effort in six matches to end their winless streak against South Africa and they will fancy doubling up on that on Sunday. The first of three ODIs, in what has been a marathon-run between these two teams, will be played in Cape Town with much less at stake than there was in the Twenty20 matches.The 2015 World Cup is further away than next year’s World T20, so this series will just be about the teams finding the right combination, something that is particularly important to the hosts. With veteran allrounder Jacques Kallis back in the mix, South Africa will work around him to assess what their squad may still need ahead of the big event.Pakistan, on the other had, may be looking only as far as ensuring their batting line-up finds the solidity it lacked in UAE. Their focus will be on preventing the collapses that have dogged them recently. They have never beaten South Africa in a bilateral ODI series, but will fancy taking an early lead this time, purely because of the timing of the first match.South Africa’s T20 captain, Faf du Plessis will be married on Saturday, and although he is not in the one-day squad, many of his team-mates who will be in attendance at the ceremony. AB de Villiers is the best man, but may have to leave early to take care of his duties as captain the next day. The current South African side has not let off-field events influence their cricket but they also haven’t had a wedding sandwiched between games. With festivities high for the hosts, Pakistan will see this as a chance to pounce.
Form guide
Pakistan LLLWL(last five completed games, most recent first)
South Africa WWWLW
In the spotlight
It has been 21 months and 29 ODIs since Jacques Kallis has played 50-over cricket for South Africa, but he is back with an eye on the 2015 World Cup. With Faf du Plessis dropped, Kallis is likely to occupy the No.3 spot and he will operate as a fifth seamer. In the field, he will likely be stationed at slip, and keep an eye on whether he is also used in an advisory capacity to AB de Villiers.Misbah-ul-Haq rejoined his team amid a cloud of controversy following his television interview with acing PCB chairman Najam Sethi. Although Misbah insisted there was no infighting in the Pakistan team, his parting words in UAE were a demand for more accountability from his batsmen. Misbah has recently developed a reputation as Pakistan’s lone run-machine, and will hope for some support from the rest in this series.
Team news
With Kallis back in the fray, South Africa could use the opportunity to field their strongest team and see how the players gel. The only decision they have to make is whether they want the experience of the fully-fit Graeme Smith, or the flair of the in-form Quinton de Kock, who can also relieve de Villiers of the wicketkeeping duties, at the top of the order.Ryan McLaren will play the role of the second allrounder, with Wayne Parnell likely to miss out. With a pace attack comprising Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Vernon Philander will also probably find himself on the sidelines.South Africa: (likely)1 Hashim Amla, 2 Graeme Smith/Quinton de Kock (wk) 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 JP Duminy 5 AB de Villiers (capt), 6 David Miller, 7 Ryan McLaren, 8 Dale Steyn, 9 Morne Morkel, 10 Lonwabo Tsotsobe 11 Imran TahirMisbah-ul-Haq returns to the batting line-up, which will give Pakistan the stability they badly need. With Mohammad Hafeez performing in the second T20, he is likely to open, leaving Ahmed Shehzad and Nasir Jamshed to compete for the other opener’s spot. Both contenders have failed to convert their starts. Pakistan also have the option of either Umar Amin or Asad Shafiq in the middle, while Bilawal Bhatti will replace Mohammad Irfan in the bowling department.Pakistan: (likely) 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Ahmed Shehzad/Nasir Jamshed, 3 Sohaib Maqsood 4 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 5 Asad Shafiq/Umar Amin, 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Sohail Tanvir, 9 Junaid Khan, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Bilawal Bhatti
Stats and trivia
- Misbah-ul-Haq has been overtaken by Rohit Sharma at the top of the ODI run-charts for 2013, but he can easily reclaim the lead. Misbah is 24 behind Rohit, although he has not scored an ODI hundred this year.
- Dale Steyn is the only South African bowler to have taken a five-for in ODIs this year. Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi have done the same for Pakistan.
Quotes
“We weren’t as good in the bowling department as we have been in the past and we bowled a few extras that cost as quite a few runs.”
“We’ve been working really hard but the luck was not with Pakistan. We needed this win to stay positive for the rest of the series.”
