Pakistan vs South Africa 1st ODI December 2024

Pakistan’s Comeback Firepower    
After resting key players like Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Naseem Shah during the Zimbabwe tour, Pakistan has brought back its big guns.

Link 1: Live match link click here

Link 2: To watch on tamasha click here

• Players to Watch:
  • Babar Azam: Consistent run machine
  • Shaheen Shah Afridi & Naseem Shah: Lethal bowling duo

South Africa's Injury Woes    
South Africa faces significant challenges with injuries to their top pacers:

• Lungi Ngidi, Gerald Coetzee, Nandre Burger, and others are sidelined.    
  This puts pressure on their bench strength to rise to the occasion.

Head-to-Head Comparison

• Recent ODIs favor Pakistan’s dominance in conditions similar to South Africa.
• Players like Saim Ayub and Abdullah Shafique showed stellar form in Australia.
• Can South Africa’s top-order counter Pakistan’s deadly pace attack?

Venue Insights – Boland Park    
Known for assisting seamers, Boland Park conditions will heavily favor Pakistan’s fast bowlers. Spinners might play a late role depending on pitch dryness.

Impact Players to Watch

Pakistan:

• Babar Azam
• Shaheen Shah Afridi
• Haris Rauf

South Africa:

• Temba Bavuma
• Aiden Markram
• Kagiso Rabada

Final Thoughts

This ODI sets the stage for a thrilling series. Pakistan’s full-strength squad holds a slight edge, but South Africa will look to prove its resilience on home turf.