Pakistan captain Babar Azam won the all-important toss and elected to bat against South Africa in the ODI World Cup fixture at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on October 27. Babar made two changes to the Men in Green's playing XI with Mohammad Wasim Jr and Mohammad Nawaz coming into the side in place of Hasan Ali and Usama Mir. Temba Bavuma returned to the playing XI for South Africa while the Proteas made two more additional changes.
Pakistan Playing XI: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Saud Shakeel, Shadab Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf
South Africa Playing XI: Quinton de Kock(w), Temba Bavuma(c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lungi Ngidi
Pakistan are in a must-win situation and a defeat against South Africa will all but end the Men in Green's hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals. With three consecutive defeats, the pressure on skipper Babar is enormous at the moment. Not only is Babar tasked with galvanising his troops, but he also needs to stand up tall with the bat and once again show the world why he is ranked No.1 batter in ODIs. Beating an in-form South Africa side would need a colossal effort from Pakistan but Babar will have to lead the charge from the onset.
The Proteas are firing on all cylinders. Barring a shocking defeat against the Netherlands, South Africa have played flawless and fearless cricket which also reflects on their overall performance in the tournament. They have won four out of the five matches played and would look to make it five wins in the competition by overpowering a confidence-deprived Pakistan.
Squads
South Africa: Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram(c), Heinrich Klaasen(w), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lizaad Williams, Temba Bavuma, 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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