An entertaining T20 series between South Africa and Pakistan concludes on Saturday when the two sides head to Johannesburg for the final match of the scheduled three with another exciting game in prospect.
South Africa have already won the series courtesy of a wonderful run chase in the second match on Friday and they will be eyeing up a clean sweep here. Pakistan will be looking to avoid that from happening and gain some confidence ahead of the ODI series next week.
South Africa
I would imagine that had you offered South Africa a 2-0 lead going into the series they would have snapped your hand off, not just because it would have meant a series win but also because it would have been secured with a second string, inexperienced bowling attack and without one or two senior batters who would get into the side as well. To have secured the position is very much a positive and they deserve a good deal of credit for that. If they can secure the whitewash that would be another feather in their cap.
The other thing South Africa deserve credit for is that they have gone 2-0 up courtesy of winning a match where they have defended a score and one where they have chased one down and I always think that is the hallmark of a decent side. That is further the case when you consider that their main bowlers are being saved for other assignments. It tells us that the depth of the South Africans is strong which bodes well for them moving forward. With both departments of their team in good touch they will fancy completing the clean sweep here.
Pakistan
When Pakistan arrived on these shores after a period of time in Zimbabwe to warm up for this tour, they would have expected to hit the ground running in this series. That hasn’t happened and when you combine that with a very questionable decision to bat first in the second game, it all adds up to the series having gotten away from them with a match to spare. They will be eager to get on the board here both for their confidence going into the ODIs but also to give South Africa something to think about in them.
Pakistan improved with the bat overall in the second game but they still didn’t make use of the powerplay in a way that the best teams in this format do and they have one last chance to show they can do that here. If they can do that then they could well have enough in their ranks to put up the sort of score that could win here, although there is still a bit of a doubt over their batting depth. They need their death bowling, which is usually a strength of theirs, to come good too.
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Team News
With the series won it will be interesting to see if Souyh Africa make changes ahead of the ODI games. If they do go down that route then Patrick Kruger could be someone who might come into the side. It is unclear if David Miller is fit to play after he missed the second game.
Pakistan are in the same boat in terms of having the chance to rotate players should they want to. Salman Agha and Mohammad Hasnain would be a couple of players under consideration should that be the case.
Betting
We got a glimpse of what to expect here in Johannesburg in the second game of the series in Centurion on Friday. The ball flew to all parts there and it flies even further here so a 16.5 sixes line doesn’t look anywhere near high enough here, especially when there could be some tired legs in the bowling department with this game coming less than 24 hours after the previous one finished. I fully expect the batters to have their wicked way with this one.
We saw 25 sixes in Centurion and when you consider that Ryan Rickelton and Heinrich Klaasen didn’t hit a single six in that match and Matthew Breetzke only hit one there might even be more to come in this one, especially if South Africa bat first. The pitch in Johannesburg is usually very good and with a good Saturday crowd expected I would be shocked if that isn’t the case here. Even in Durban we got 18 sixes and the ball flies much further here at altitude. I like the over here.
Tips
Back Over 16.5 sixes for a 3/10 stake at 1.80 with William Hill
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