DURBAN: South Africa have won the toss and opted to bat first in the first T20I of the three-match series against Pakistan here at the Kingsmead Stadium on Tuesday.
Playing XIs
The touring side made plethora of changes to their lineup as key players like Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Babar Azam returned to the shortest format's side, while all-rounder Salman Ali Agha was dropped.
Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Babar Azam, Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, Tayyab Tahir, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed.
The home side, on the other hand, are also fielding a fresh-look lineup, led by stand-in captain Heinrich Klaasen as their regular captain Aiden Markram was rested for the series.
South Africa: Rassie van der Dussen, Reeza Hendricks, Mathew Breetzke, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen (c & wk), Donovan Ferreira, George Linde, Andile Simelane, Nqaba Peter, Kwena Maphaka, Ottneil Baartman.
Head-to-Head
Pakistan and South Africa have come face to face 22 times in T20Is, with the former boasting a slightly dominant record with 12 wins, compared to the opposition’s 10.
Their most recent face-off in the format, however, dates back to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, where the green shirts emerged victorious by 33 runs.
Matches 22, Pakistan 12, South Africa 10
Form Guide
Pakistan and South Africa enter the three-match series with contrasting momentums as the green shirts are fresh from their 2-1 series triumph over Zimbabwe, while the Proteas recently suffered a 3-1 defeat against reigning champions India.
Pakistan: L, W, W, L, L (most recent first)
South Africa: L, L, W, L, L
