South Africa vs Pakistan, 1st T20I Match Preview, Prediction and Live Streaming

South Africa need only one Test win to reserve their berth for the World Test Championship (WTC) final, and that win could very well come against Pakistan if all goes according to the plan. But there is little they can do to expedite the process. For one, there are six white-ball games, three T20Is followed by as many ODIs, before they can begin the red-ball series.

The Proteas will feel that the T20Is, at this stage and point in time, are needless. It’s like restarting a video game back to a slow-paced, unceremonious level one, where the biggest challenge in not bumping into rocks, after having just conquered the more exhilarating higher levels. But on the positive side, the T20I games will give the Test players a little breather. And this series might well be just that: a breather, both for South Africa and Pakistan.

For South Africa, it is understandable why. But for Pakistan, whose only chance of making it to the WTC final is if the two four teams get abducted, what could it be a breather from? From the ever-present off-field noise? Or from their bumpy on-field outings? After all, how much of an outburst can the results of a few irrelevant games cause?

Team Overview:

Heinrich Klaasen will lead the hosts as Aiden Markaram, the regular captain, along with the players who finished the last Test just yesterday will sit the T20I series out. This group includes Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Tristan Stubbs, and Kagiso Rabada. However, Matthew Breetzke, Kwena Maphaka, and Ryan Rickelton will not get any R&R following the Test win versus Sri Lanka, though they might not be included in the first T20I. Anrich Nortje, Rassie van der Dussen, Reeza Hendricks, David Miller, and Tabraiz Shamsi are the only senior players in the squad, which means the management will have plenty of thinking to do to pen the remaining side down.

Pakistan have a more experienced side in their camp. Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Naseem Shah have returned after resting the Zimbabwe tour. The question that has long stood for Pakistan will make its way into this series as well: who opens for the side? Mohammad Rizwan and Babar are unlikely to bat together at the top with a plethora of youngsters in the squad. It could be one of Riz-Bar, that part is certain. Pakistan also are spoilt for choices with their fast bowlers. They have Naseem, Shaheen, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, and most importantly Haris Rauf raring to exploit the South African conditions.

Head-to-Head Matches:

Pakistan and South Africa have faced each other in 22 T20I games so far. Pakistan with 12 wins are closely followed by the Proteas at 10 wins. The last time both sides played a T20I game was during the T20 World Cup in 2022, where Pakistan outdid the Proteas by 33 runs.

Weather and Pitch Report:

Durban usually dishes out a bowl-first pitch for T20I games, thanks to the very visible grass on the surface that makes it difficult to capitalize on the powerplay for the teams batting first. But the surface is known to only get better and once it does, the bounce becomes more even hence batting becomes easier. Usually, the surface under the grass is firm which carries the ball through smoothly, so the pacers remain relevant throughout the game. Expect a target of something north of 160.

There are a few chances of rain and it’s going to be fairly windy too. However, the rain will not be too threatening, a passing shower at best.

Prediction:

Given Pakistan’s experience and a better fast bowling attack, one could expect them to do better than South Africa. However, expecting something from Pakistan is not the wisest of things to do.