T20 World Cup: Pakistan opt to bat against South Africa
Nov 03, 2022
Sydney [Australia], November 3 : Pakistani captain Babar Azam opted to bat against South Africa in a must-win game at the Sydney Cricket Ground in the Super-12 clash in the ongoing T20 World Cup.
Pakistan are in a precarious situation having lost two of its three matches. India's win over Bangladesh dampened their chances to qualify for the semi-finals. They need to win against the Proteas with a big margin along with their last game while hoping for the results of other teams to go their way.
South Africa are the only unbeaten side in the tournament and will fancy their chances against the Asian giants. However, an injury to their in-form batter David Miller may come as a setback for the team.
"We will bat. Put runs on the board and then place them under pressure in the chase. We will try and give our best and then move forward. One change for us - Fakhar misses out, Haris is in," said Pakistani skipper, Babar Azam after winning the toss.
"We would have batted first as well, looks a bit dry, but there is some green. Batting first is an advantage, but we need to keep them down to a low score and then chase well. We have a great bunch of guys and have derived a lot of support and confidence from them. Two changes for us - one is a forced one with Miller missing out with an injury, and Klaasen replaces him. Shamsi is in, he replaces Keshav Maharaj," said Temba Bavuma during the toss.
Pakistan (Playing XI): Mohammad Rizwan(w), Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Haris, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah
South Africa (Playing XI): Quinton de Kock(w), Temba Bavuma(c), Rilee Rossouw, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, Tristan Stubbs, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi
