Last Updated on 4 years by Charbel Coorey
PAK vs SA 2nd Test Preview Dream11 Possible 11 Pitch Report | PAK vs SA 2nd Test Dream11 Prediction Today | Pakistan vs South Africa 2nd Test Key Players | Rawalpindi Pitch Report
After an impressive outing in Babar Azam’s first Test as captain, Pakistan lock horns with the Proteas in the 2nd Test in Rawalpindi as they aim to whitewash the tourists.
Prior to the series, Pakistan had come off a drubbing in New Zealand having lost both the Tests by a innings defeat margin, while South Africa were coming off a 2-0 series win over Sri Lanka. But as conditions and the country changed, the fortunes for both the sides drastically changed as well. In Pakistan, the hosts were expected to dominate the Quinton De Kock-led side and the result of the 1st Test didn’t come as a surprise.
However, in the 1st Test, the Proteas did have their moments but didn’t capitalize on them. They allowed passages of play to go Pakistan’s way and that’s where they lost the match. The key for South Africa is avoiding losing a cluster of wickets in the game, as they were well placed in both innings in Karachi, only to then suffer collapses. They will be looking to improve on this front in this game.
Key Players to Watch/Key Stats
- Babar Azam has an average of 111 while playing in Pakistan and his scores of 7 & 30 in the Karachi Test will be considered as a blip. Key player.
- Fawad Alam has scored two centuries in the last two Tests and he will be high on confidence while playing the second Test. He now averages an incredible 56.37 in 175 First Class matches.
- Shaheen Shah Afridi has an average of 25 and has picked 15 wickets in four matches in his home country. With the Rawalpindi wicket expected to have something for pacers, Afridi will have a key role to play for the Babar Azam-led side.
- Kagiso Rabada picked his 200th Test wicket in the previous Test. However, he has sub-par average of 33 in Asia and he will hope that his performance in the 2nd Test is better than how his career has fared in Asia.
- Faf Du Plessis average in Asia drops to almost half. His average in Asia comes down to 23 from a career average of 40.
- Can Quinton de Kock improve on his form? Is the captaincy impacting his form? The skipper has scored 18, 10, 15 and 2 in his last three Tests. South Africa need him to deliver here.
- Aiden Markram is coming off an impressive 74 in the second innings of the Karachi Test. Dean Elgar is in good touch, with scores of 95, 127, 31*, 58 and 29 in his last three Test matches.
Stats and Facts
- South Africa have lost their last 8 games in Asia and their last victory came in June 2014.
- Bavuma needs 8 more runs to complete 2000 runs in the longest format of the game.
- South Africa are playing at the Rawalpindi National Stadium for the first time since 1997.
Possible Playing 11
South Africa will most likely go into the Rawalpindi Test with the same XI, provided Keshav Maharaj is fit enough, as he has been experiencing pain in his side. Tabraiz Shamsi missed out on the previous game due to injury, so it remains to be seen if he is fit enough to play this one.
South Africa Probable XI: 1. Dean Elgar, 2. Aiden Markram, 3. Rassie van der Dussen, 4. Faf du Plessis, 5. Quinton de Kock (C & WK), 6. Temba Bavuma, 7. George Linde, 8. Keshav Maharaj/Wiaan Mulder, 9. Kagiso Rabada, 10. Anrich Nortje, 11. Lungi Ngidi/Tabraiz Shamsi
Pakistan will most probably not tinker with their winning combination and continue with the same XI.
Pakistan Probable XI: 1. Abid Ali, 2. Imran Butt, 3. Babar Azam (C), 4. Azhar Ali, 5. Fawad Alam, 6. Faheem Ashraf, 7. Mohammad Rizwan (WK), 8. Nauman Ali, 9. Yasir Shah, 10. Shaheen Shah Afridi, 11. Hasan Ali
Rawalpindi Pitch Report and Weather
The pitch is historically more helpful to the pacers than the Karachi wicket and hence the pacers from both the sides will have a more important role to play. However, Proteas coach Mark Boucher said that the pitch does have a dryness to it, and expects spinners to play a role throughout the match.
The weather is expected to be clear for the next 5 days in Rawalpindi and the temperature during the day will be in the early 20-degree mark.
Dream11 Prediction
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Match Prediction
Pakistan will fancy their chances going into this encounter. After a convincing victory in the 1st Test, it will require a special effort from the Proteas to avoid a defeat here.
Written by Sarthak Karkhanis. Follow Sarthak on Twitter today.
