SA vs PAK 1st T20I: Fan2Play Fantasy Cricket Tips, Prediction, Playing XI and Pitch Report

Match Details

The first game of the four-match T20I series between South Africa and Pakistan will be played at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on 10th April 2021.

The match will start at 6:00 PM IST. The live streaming will be available on the Hotstar app and website.

Preview

Right before the start of the T20I series, South Africa suffered a blow. As their top players left for the IPL, the hosts already had a depleted squad. Now, their captain Temba Bavuma has been ruled out of the T20I series with an injury, further lowering the experience in the side. Heinrich Klaasen has been handed over the responsibility of captain and would be taking charge of the side which faces Pakistan. 

The visitors, on the other hand, would be in a positive mindset, having just won the ODI series days prior. The two teams had also played in a T20I series recently in Pakistan. Babar Azam’s side had won that series and would have some happy memories to look back and rejuvenate themselves. 

With the likes of Babar Azam, Sharjeel Khan and Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan have a very destructive top-order. They will surely be starting as the favourites, but the South African players have the experience of playing in their conditions, which could be the only thing working in their favour ahead of this T20I series. 

Probable Playing XIs for SA vs PAK

South Africa 

Predicted XI: 

Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, Wihan Lubbe/Rassie van der Dussen, Heinrich Klaasen (C), Kyle Verrynne (WK), Andile Phehlukwayo, George Linde, Migael Pretorius, Tabraiz Shamsi, Beuran Hendricks, Lutho Sipamla

Pakistan 

Predicted XI:

Babar Azam (C), Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Sharjeel Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Haider Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Usman Qadir, Shaheen Shah Afridi

Captaincy picks for SA vs PAK

Heinrich Klaasen (South Africa)

In the absence of Temba Bavuma and the potential absence of Rassie van der Dussen, a lot of responsibility of the batting department will fall on Heinrich Klaasen. He has not been in the best of form lately, having not scored a lot of runs during the ODI series. However, in the past, he has shown an ability to bounce back. If he can get going early on, Klaasen can put on a solid performance with the bat, something which he has done before in a South African shirt.

Babar Azam (Pakistan)

The Pakistan captain is one of the most consistent T20 players in the world. He averages 48.06 in T20Is with a strike rate of 130.27. His consistency at the top of the order has been highlighted quite well in Pakistan’s success in the shortest format. Having played two wonderful knocks during the ODI series and showed how comfortable he was in the foreign conditions of South Africa’s bouncy tracks. 

Fan2Play Fantasy Cricket Tips

2-Player Team

Janneman Malan, Babar Azam (C)

3-Player Team

Mohammad Rizwan (C), Kyle Verreynne, H Klaasen

4-Player Team

George Linde (C), Janneman Malan, Sharjeel Babar Azam

Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision