South Africa conclude their tour of Pakistan on Sunday and they will do so with a deciding match in the T20 series after they picked up an emphatic win on Saturday to level up the ledger ahead of this final match.
That is probably perfect for both sides because it means they can play a competitive match to enhance their preparations for the World T20 to come later in the year. It is winner-takes-all as far as the series is concerned.
Pakistan
The thing which will have disappointed Pakistan in the second match in particular is that they never got going with the bat. In truth that is twice that has happened. The first game they were saved by a brilliant innings from Mohammad Rizwan but he couldn’t build on his 50 in the second game and left the innings exposed. If Pakistan are going to win this match then you would think they will need more of their top order to stand up and be counted.
It feels harsh to judge the Pakistan bowling attack on their effort on Saturday. I say that for a couple of reasons. They clearly weren’t defending anywhere near enough runs which immediately had them under pressure and then when you consider the dew as well they were pushing themselves uphill from a standing start really. They would have liked to have taken it deeper than they did but sometimes there isn’t a lot you can do.
South Africa
When the series started and knowing that their Test players had all gone home for a series which we now know isn’t going ahead, had you offered South Africa a deciding match they would probably have snatched your hand of, but having lost the first game when they had chances to win it, they might feel this is a series they should already have wrapped up. They can’t afford to think like that going into this match though. They need to forget what has gone and focus on this game.
South Africa have bowled very well on both occasions in this series. In these conditions that was a bit of a surprise and the key thing is that the bowlers have been managed well by Heinrich Klaasen. They have been a bit too hit or miss with the bat for my liking but they got the job done in the second game after tossing the first one away so they seem to be warming to the task in that department which has to be a real positive.
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Team News
Pakistan may feel they need to make changes both to freshen things up after a poor performance and also because this match comes less than 24 hours after the previous one. Mohammad Hasnain and Asif Ali would be most likely to come in.
South Africa found a winning combination in the previous match but Glenton Stuurman had a debut to forget so it might be that Junior Dala gets called upon in this decider both for his freshness and his experience in these matches.
Betting
I fancy South Africa to come through in this decider. There is a clear case that they should have won both matches so far and had the series won but they carry winning confidence into this match with them and it wouldn’t be unlike Pakistan to just completely collapse in a heap after a loss. We have to acknowledge the dew which could mean the chasing side has an advantage here but South Africa tend to bowl their spin early in the innings which might benefit them if they are bowling second.
There is a huge case to suggest Pakistan would have been in a right mess had it not been for the runs of Mohammad Rizwan so far in the series and while there is little doubt that he is in the form of his life, that doesn’t last forever and if he were to fail here you wonder what the rest will have to offer when you think in two completed innings nobody other than Rizwan in the top six has scored more than 21 in an innings. South Africa have shared their runs out a bit more and that might just be the difference here.
Tips
Back South Africa to beat Pakistan for a 3/10 stake at 2.50 with Betfair
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