South Africa and Pakistan will be taking on each other in the third and final ODI on Sunday (December 22). The match is scheduled to be played at the Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg.
Following the 3-wicket win in the first ODI, Pakistan won the second game in Cape Town by 81 runs. The Mohammad Rizwan-led side completely outplayed South Africa in batting as well as bowling.
Batting first, Pakistan posted a big total of 329 runs. Captain Mohammad Rizwan led the charge with the bat for his side, scoring 80 runs. Babar Azam and Kamran Ghulam impressed with the bat too, scoring 73 and 63 runs respectively.
In reply, South Africa were comfortably placed at 185/4 at one stage before suffering an inexplicable collapse. They were eventually all out for 248 runs in the 44th over. Heinrich Klaasen was the top-scorer for South Africa, scoring 97 runs from just 74 balls.
With both the teams now gearing up for the third SA vs PAK ODI, here is the preview for the upcoming game.
SA vs PAK Match Preview – 3rd ODI, Pakistan tour of South Africa 2024-25:
SA vs PAK Date and Venue:
The upcoming third ODI between South Africa and Pakistan will be taking place on Sunday (22) from 5:30 PM IST ( 2:00 PM local) in Johannesburg.
Squads:
South Africa:
Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram(c), Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Marco Jansen, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Corbin Bosch, Tabraiz Shamsi, Bjorn Fortuin, David Miller, Temba Bavuma, Kwena Maphaka
Pakistan:
Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan(w/c), Kamran Ghulam, Salman Agha, Irfan Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Khan, Tayyab Tahir, Mohammad Hasnain, Sufiyan Muqeem
SA vs PAK Key Battles
Shaheen Afridi vs Heinrich Klaasen:
This is the one battle that could decide the fate of the third South Africa vs Pakistan ODI. Klaasen has been in good form in the series. The big-hitting batsman scored 86 runs in the first ODI before smashing 97 from just 74 balls in the second ODI.
With form on his side, he will be eyeing another good outing with the bat in the third ODI. Pakistan will be hoping that they dismiss Klaasen cheaply and will be relying on Shaheen Afridi for the same. Afridi picked up 4 wickets in the second ODI and will be looking to win the battle against Klaasen.
Saim Ayub vs Marco Jansen:
Saim Ayub has been in good form in the ongoing SA vs PAK series. He is the only batsman from either side to score a century in the series. The young opener scored a match-winning ton in the first game before scoring 25 runs in the second.
Ayub will be looking to end the series on a high as well. And the onus will be on left-arm pacer Marco Jansen to ensure that he dismisses Ayub cheaply to give his team a good start with the ball.
Babar Azam vs Kwena Maphaka:
Babar Azam has looked in good touch in the SA vs PAK series. The former Pakistan skipper scored 23 runs in the first game and followed it up with a crucial 73-run knock in the second game. Babar has the ability to win any game single-handedly.
With form on his side, he will be eyeing a big score and South Africa will be relying on their young pacer Kwena Maphaka to ensure that the Pakistan star departs cheaply.
SA vs PAK Key Players
SA – Temba Bavuma, Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, and Marco Jansen will be some of the key players for South Africa.
PAK – Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Salman Agha, Shaheen Afridi, and Naseem Shah will be the key players for Pakistan.
SA vs PAK Weather And Pitch Report:
The weather forecast for Johannesburg on Sunday (December 22) is not promising. The game will start at 2:00 PM local time and the chances of rain during that time is more than 45 percent.
So it won’t be surprising if the start of the third ODI is delayed due to rain or a wet outfield. With the passage of time, the probability of rain is only more.
Talking about the pitch, the average first innings total at the venue is 239 runs. In the last ODI played at this venue, South Africa suffered an 8-wicket defeat against India after being bowled out for just 116 runs. The upcoming game is also unlikely to be a very high-scoring contest.
Conclusion:
Even though the series is already decided, neither South Africa nor Pakistan will be treating the upcoming game lightly. Both the teams will be keen to win the third ODI in order to have the winning momentum ahead of the forthcoming Test series between them.