Hosts South Africa take on Pakistan in the final ODI of the 3-match series at the SuperSport Park in Centurion on Wednesday. The series is currently tied at 1-1.

The hosts leveled the series after they registered a 17-run win in the second ODI at Johannesburg. However, the show-stealer was opener F Zaman, who scored an incredible 193-run innings that almost took Pakistan to an improbable win. 

After being asked to bat first, South Africa produced a solid batting performance and put up a huge total of 341 runs on the board. Although no one scored a century, there were important contributions from the top and the middle order. Bowling on such a flat pitch, Phehlukwayo and Nortje did a fine job and picked up key wickets. Q de Kock, D Miller, K Rabada, A Nortje and L Ngidi will not be a part of the remainder of the tour as they have left to take part in the Indian T20 League. This will certainly affect both their bowling and batting plans for the rest of the games. 

F Zaman’s 193 in the last game was one of the greatest innings of all time in a run chase. It was his sensational performance that single-handedly took Pakistan close to the target of 342 runs even as wickets kept tumbling around him. The next highest score in the innings was 31 by captain B Azam, raising concerns again about the team’s middle and lower order batsmen. On the bowling front, it was H Rauf’s spell that stood out while the others struggled to stop the South African batsmen on a flat track.

With many key South African players not available for this game, this will be an opportunity for the others to step up. On the other hand, Pakistan will sense a golden chance of earning a series win at Centurion.

Match Details

• Match: South Africa vs. Pakistan, 3rd ODI
• Venue: SuperSport Park, Centurion
• Date & Time: Apr. 7, 2021 at 1:30 PM IST

Probable Playing XI

South Africa

J Malan, A Markram, T Bavuma (C), R van der Dussen, JJ Smuts, H Klassen (WK), A Phehlukwayo, B Hendricks, J Dala, L Sipamla, T Shamsi

Pakistan

Imam-ul-Haq, F Zaman, B Azam (C), M Rizwan (WK), D Aziz, A Ali, F Ashraf, S Afridi, Hasan Ali, U Qadir, H Rauf

Weather and Pitch Report

Centurion is expected to have cloudy weather during the match. The temperature will be around 19 degrees during the game. A few thunderstorms and rain interruptions can be expected.  

As we saw in the first ODI, the track at the SuperSport Park is quite good for batting and remains true throughout the game. Seamers will get some movement when the ball is new. Batsmen will have to bide their time and attack once the shine wears off the new ball. With not much help available for them, spinners will have to do the containing job. The average first innings score in the last five ODI matches played here has been 233 runs.

Out of the last 5 ODIs played here, 4 have been won by the teams chasing. Keeping in mind the weather forecast, the captain winning the toss will most likely choose to bowl first. A first innings score of around 280 runs should be a competitive one.

Key Players

• R van der Dussen has been brilliant with the bat in the series, scoring 183 runs in the two matches he has played so far. He scored his maiden century in the last match played here and will be a key player in the batting unit in the absence of de Kock and Miller.
• T Bavuma would be relieved by his team’s form in the last game. He was the top scorer for South Africa with his 92-run innings, missing out on his second ODI hundred by 8 runs. He will look to carry the momentum into this final match. 
• A Phehlukwayo has had two good outings in the first two games of the series. He has been effective with the ball, taking 4 wickets at an economy of 6.15. He will look to lead the relatively inexperienced bowling attack of South Africa in this game.
• B Azam missed out in the last game, scoring just 31 runs in a high run chase. His century in the first ODI made the main difference between the two teams. He will look to take full advantage of the inexperienced pace attack of the hosts here.
• F Zaman made a stunning return to form in the last match, scoring a sensational 193 runs off just 155 balls, which included 18 fours and 10 sixes. It was his first hundred after a gap of almost two years. He will be confident of scoring runs here too. 
• H Rauf has been key to Pakistan’s bowling performance in this series so far. Without his 5 wickets, the batting unit would have been chasing a much higher total in the last two games. He will look to pick up more wickets in this deciding match.

Howzat Dream Team

• Wicketkeeper: M Rizwan
• Batsmen: T Bavuma, R van der Dussen, A Markram, B Azam, F Zaman
• All-rounders: A Phehlukwayo, F Ashraf
• Bowlers: B Hendricks, H Rauf, S Afridi

• Captain: B Azam/F Zaman 
• Vice Captain: T Bavuma/R van der Dussen

NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can make your match prediction and play fantasy cricket matches. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team suggested.

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