ODI tri-series: Pakistan meet South Africa in virtual semi-final
What's the story
The third match of the ongoing ODI tri-series will be played between Pakistan and South Africa at the National Stadium in Karachi on February 12.
The match is of utmost importance for both sides as the winner will meet New Zealand in the final on Friday.
Both South Africa and Pakistan lost their respective openers against NZ and would want to bounce back in his virtual semi-final.
Here we look at the match preview.
Ground report
Pitch conditions and streaming details
The pitch at the National Stadium in Karachi is batting-friendly and often results in high-scoring matches.
It offers good bounce which helps fast bowlers in the initial stages of the game.
As the match progresses, spinners are likely to get the upper hand on this surface.
Meanwhile, the match be live telivise on Sony Sports Network while FanCode will provide the live streaming (2:30pm IST).
Climate update
Weather forecast for the match day
According to AccuWeather, there's no chance of rain in Karachi on February 12.
The weather in the city has started getting warmer and on the match day, the maximum temperature is expected to reach 32.2 degrees Celsius.
The minimum temperature may drop to 13.9 degrees Celsius with wind speeds between 12-24km/h.
These conditions are likely to provide an uninterrupted game for both teams and their supporters.
Game plan
Team strategies and key players for the match
Pakistan's strategy relies on their batting unit, which includes Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, and Agha Salman.
They will have to put up a collective performance to keep their hopes alive in the series.
The bowling attack spearheaded by Shaheen Afridi also holds the key in this do-or-die match.
For South Africa, seasoned campaigner Temba Bavuma and in-form youngster Matthew Breetzke are expected to lead the charge against Pakistan.
Past encounters
Head-to-head record in ODIs
Looking at the head-to-head record in ODIs, South Africa have a huge upper hand over Pakistan, as per ESPNcricinfo.
Out of 86 matches, Pakistan have won 33, while South Africa have won 52 times with one match ending without a result.
At home, Pakistan own seven wins and eight defeats against the Proteas side in the ODI format.
Notably, this will be Pakistan's maiden ODI against SA at home since 2007.
XIs
Here are the probable XIs
Pakistan Probable XI: Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Khushdil Shah, Kamran Ghulam, Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.
South Africa Probable XI: Temba Bavuma (c), Matthew Breetzke, Jason Smith, Wiaan Mulder, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Mihlali Mpongwana, Senuran Muthusamy, Eathan Bosch, Junior Dala, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi.
Stats
Here are the key performers
Fakhar Zaman, who recently made a comeback to international cricket, made a fiery 84 in Pakistan's opening game.
Shaheen Afridi claimed 18 wickets across just seven ODI games since 2024.
This period has also seen Haris Rauf scalp 14 wickets across nine ODIs.
SA's first game saw Matthew Breetzke score a record-breaking 150 on debut.
All-rounder Wiaan Mulder also scored a vital 64 in the match.