South Africa vs Pakistan, 2nd T20I Match Preview, Prediction and Live Streaming

None of the South African batters barring David Miller and George Linde could get past 15 runs in the first T20I game and that made all the difference in the world. Miller who scored 82 runs off 40 balls first denied Pakistan the opportunity to cherish their early inroads and after him, Linde did the same. By the end of the first innings, Pakistan had a target of 184 to gun down. That their best batter, Babar Azam, departed for a duck did not make this any better but Saim Ayub’s quick-fire innings showed Pakistan a somewhat turbulent hope which had the match oscillating between both sides before finally setting in the hosts’ favour.

Now both sides will face each other in Centurion, a ground where Pakistan have only found success in T20Is. The last time they faced South Africa here, the visitors bested a down-the-wire game by 3 wickets with Babar Azam scoring his career-best 122 runsthe same tour. Only four Pakistan players from that team will make their way on Friday to play against the side that will once again be captained by Heinrich Klaasen. That is to show that a lot has changed since that game, yet plenty remains the same.

Team Overview:

Pakistan’s bowling lineup did a decent job of ensuring that the Proteas’ batters were kept at bay but it was natural for them to falter a couple of times. And these couple of times were what hurt the visitors eventually. The main blame, however, would lie with Pakistan’s pedestrian approach in trying to gun down a big 180+ target. Mohammad Rizwan, though, finished his innings at an unbeaten 74 off 62 balls but at one point he had consumed 44 balls for a mere 36 runs. Already fielding a thin batting lineup, this slow approach damaged their chances further, something they would want to address going forward.

While Miller and Linde eventually accumulated a good target on the board by the end of the first innings, the host batters in general were disappointing. The rest of the team managed to contribute only 51 runs. A team like Pakistan would not let go of cashing on this opportunity if it happens again. George Linde’s bowling in the 18th over turned the match entirely in the favor of his team, murdering whatever chances Pakistan had by that time. But South Africa would also feel they let go of plenty of needless runs which they would want not to be repeated at a more batting-friendly ground in Centurion.

Head-to-Head Matches:

Pakistan and South Africa have faced each other in 23 T20I games so far. Pakistan with 12 wins are closely followed by the Proteas at 11 wins. The last time both sides played a game in Centurion was in 2021.

Weather and Pitch Report:

Centurion has been a high-scoring ground and as a captain, you would not want to defend a target here. A 200-run target would not be a big ask given how the pitch and conditions suit batters. The reason behind it is the true pace and bounce in the surface which the batters love using to their advantage. But this also will help the pacers to keep on hoping for success throughout the game. The sky will be covered in clouds and there is an outside chance of a passing shower as well but apart from that the weather should not worry both sides much.

Prediction:

Pakistan have a better record here. The last time they lost any game in this ground was all the way back in 2019. Expect them to try to maintain their record while also attempting to keep the series alive.