Last Updated on 4 years by Charbel Coorey

SA vs PAK 1st T20I Dream11 Prediction Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | SA vs PAK 1st T20 Dream11 Prediction Today | South Africa vs Pakistan 1st T20 Key Players | Wanderers Pitch Report

Injuries and IPL departures present a significant challenge for a depleted South Africa side, as they look to make a mark in T20 cricket. The Proteas have not won a T20I series since beating Sri Lanka in early 2019, losing 10 of 14 matches since then.

So, this series is an opportunity for up-and-comers to make a mark in a T20 World Cup year. And the task will certainly be a challenging one, as they meet a Pakistan side that has been a consistent force in T20I cricket. The tourists, coming off a 2-1 ODI series win, beat the Proteas at home earlier this year, and will be looking for a good performance to start the series here.

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

South Africa:

• Janneman Malan has been strong in international cricket. In his only ODI in the series against Pakistan, he looked in superb touch for his 70.
• Pite van Biljon scored the fifth-most runs in the CSA 2020/21 T20 Challenge (154 runs, avg. 38.50, SR 117.55).
• Heinrich Klaasen hasn’t hit the heights of the ODI series against Australia last year. As skipper of the side, he must step up here. He scored 114 runs in five matches at 38.00 (SR 135.71) in the CSA T20 Challenge.
• George Linde had a good CSA T20 Challenge campaign. He scored 1, 37, 11, 48* and 22 with the bat, along with 1/40, 2/23, 1/20, 4/25 and 0/31 with the ball.
• Lizaad Williams took seven wickets in five games in the CSA T20 Challenge.
• Tabraiz Shamsi took six scalps in three games against Pakistan earlier this year.

Pakistan:

• Fakhar Zaman wasn’t originally in Pakistan’s T20I squad for this series. However, he’s now in the squad and is coming into this series off the back off an unbelievable ODI series (302 runs, avg. 100.66, two centuries).
• Babar Azam also had a strong ODI series (228 runs, avg. 76.00). In T20Is vs South Africa, he has scored 200 runs in six matches at an average of 33.33. He has a chance to boost those numbers.
• Mohammad Rizwan is having a great year in T20s. He slammed 197 runs in three matches vs South Africa earlier in the year, as well as 297 runs in five matches in PSL 2021.
• Mohammad Hafeez is enjoying a great run in T20Is. He smashed 415 runs in 10 matches in 2020, at an average of 83.00 and SR 152.57.
• Shaheen Shah Afridi took six wickets in three games in the recent ODI series vs South Africa.
• Hasan Ali was terrific in PSL 2021. He took six wickets in four games at an economy rate of just 5.56. Also, his batting down the order is a huge plus.

Also read: 5 big predictions for IPL 2021

Possible Playing 11

South Africa: 1. Janneman Malan, 2. Aiden Markram/Reeza Hendricks, 3. Pite van Biljon, 4. Kyle Verreynne, 5. Heinrich Klaasen (c & wk), 6. Andile Phehlukwayo, 7. Wiaan Mulder, 8. George Linde, 9. Beuran Hendricks, 10. Lizaad Williams, 11. Tabraiz Shamsi/Daryn Dupavillon

Pakistan: 1. Fakhar Zaman, 2. Babar Azam (c), 3. Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 4. Haider Ali, 5. Mohammad Hafeez, 6. Asif Ali, 7. Faheem Ashraf, 8. Hasan Ali, 9. Shaheen Afridi, 10. Haris Rauf/Mohammad Hasnain, 11. Usman Qadir

Wanderers Stadium Pitch Report and Weather

A good batting track is expected, which is usually the case on this ground. Also, a top of about 27 degrees is forecast, with no rain expected.

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

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Match Prediction

It is a tough ask for South Africa to win here given their depleted squad. Pakistan to win.

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