Fri 27 Oct 2023, 13:21:54

Chennai: Pakistan will look to resurrect their ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign when they take on South Africa in match number 26 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai today. After starting well, Babar Azam’s Pakistan have faltered since, losing against India, Australia, and Afghanistan. Babar’s men need to win their remaining games to stand a chance of qualification. Meanwhile, South Africa have been flying high, breaking several records one after the other. One expects a stern contest with plenty of fire on offer.

Pakistan and South Africa had started off their 2023 World Cup campaigns in similar fashion. Both sides won their first two matches by convincing margins before losing their third quite spectacularly. While Pakistan lost to arch-rivals and table toppers India, South Africa fell to the Netherlands in what is still arguably the biggest upset of the tournament.

Since then though, the trajectories of the two sides couldn't be more different. South Africa responded by beating England by 229 runs and Bangladesh by 149 runs. For Pakistan, though, the wheels seem to have come off. They then lost to Australia by 62

runs and Afghanistan by eight wickets.

Babar hasn't exactly been able to showcase the abilities that have come to be associated with him over the course of his career. His tally for this tournament stands at 157 runs at an average of 31.40 with two fifties in five matches. There could be no better moment for him to come good than today, with all the odds against him. There are more than a few former cricketers calling for his head as captain and 'Zimbabar' hashtags are trending like never before.

TEAMS:

South Africa: Quinton de Kock (W), Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen(w), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lizaad Williams, Temba Bavuma (c), Andile Phehlukwayo, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi

Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Saud Shakeel, Shadab Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shaheen Afridi, Usama Mir, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Fakhar Zaman, Agha Salman, Mohammad Nawaz

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