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Match: South Africa v Pakistan, 5th ODI (5 match series)
Series: Even at 2 – 2
Venue: Willowmoore Park, Benoni, South Africa.
Date and time: 24th March, 2013; 13:00 PST/08:00 GMT
Overall Rivalry: Half way there; South Africa 40 wins, Pakistan 20 wins
Weather Report: Benoni is expected to have overcast conditions with a chance of thunderstorm. Temperature should be good at around 22 Celsius but rain could threaten all day with strong winds of up to 20km/h.
Ground Report: This ground was built in the mid 1920’s by English Miners. The park is surrounded by willow trees and has moorland in its backdrop, thus the name, Willowmoore Park.
13 out of 18 toss winning captains have opted to field first. The opposition might again be sent into bat, considering that Duckworth-Lewis could also come into play, normally benefiting the chasing team.
Game On: Misbah-ul-Haq has been criticised for a low strike rate, defensive tactics, selection errors and an overall negative mindset with which he has helmed the affairs of Pakistan cricket. Sometimes the stick he gets from all quarters is justified. Yet, he defies and surprises critics, bloggers and fans by results that are extra ordinary given his circumstances. His win per cent of 62.16 as captain is higher than any other skipper who has led Pakistan in equal or more number of ODI games than Misbah.
After being whitewashed in the Test series, a drubbing in the shorter form was also envisioned, but, Misbah and his men kept their faith alive. Pakistan has won two ODIs in South Africa for the first time in a bilateral series and is now on the brink of making history by winning their first series against them.
This performance from Pakistan is even more remarkable given the quality of opposition and the lack of match winners within their own ranks.
In the team fielded on Thursday, after Misbah, Shoaib Malik had the highest batting average of a modest 32.96. Their bowling is their strength, but while Saeed Ajmal has shown his usual brilliance, Hafeez and Afridi have been average at best. The fast bowling department has been in a perpetual muddle during the series but Mohammad Irfan has emerged as their knight in shining armour.
A Pakistani team with presumably lesser skill and experience have done what their glorified predecessors had never managed before but they should be aware that their cake is only half baked. Nothing less than a series win can decorate their chronicle of success in South Africa.
Captains Ab de Villiers and Misbah have led from the front as the top two run getters in the series, amassing 272 and 203 runs respectively. The series winning captain could possibly also become man of the series; their fight has boiled down to the final battle in Benoni.
South Africa stakes claim of the best cricket team in the world but this could be their third loss out of the four ODI series played at home in the last two years. There is little doubt in the quality of the Proteas but questions have been raised of the final touches that often go missing in their performances. The talent at their disposal does not do justice to their recent results or their current ranking.
South Africa went into this series with one eye on the ICC Champions Trophy but now all eyes will be on their performance on Sunday.
Game Changer: A final makes the heart beat faster and the adrenalin rush harder. The team that handles pressure better and holds their nerve stronger are often the ones filling their trophy cabinet.
Pre-Game Talk: “As the home team they are certainly under pressure but we will approach Sunday’s game with the same attitude and determination,” Misbah ul Haq looking for the choke slam.
“We did not play as well as we could on the day. We did not bowl well and when we batted we did not finish it off like we have done in the past. But those are little shortcomings which can tweak as we go along. I’m confident we can put things right by Sunday,” Selector Andrew Hudson is hoping for a better performance.
Last XI Fielded South Africans: Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers (Cap and Wk), Colin Ingram, David Miller, Farhaan Behardien, Rory Kleinveldt, Ryan McLaren, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe
Last XI Fielded Pakistanis: Imran Frahat, Mohammad Hafeez, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq(capt), Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal (wk), Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Irfan.
Possible Changes:
South Africa: Smith is expected to miss out due to a chronic ankle injury which might see Quinton De Kock make a return to the side. Morne Morkel has been bowling with a full run-up during practice and Garry Kirsten could be tempted to draft him back for the decider, especially with concerns over fitness of Dale Steyn.
Pakistan: Out of form Younis Khan could be replaced by Umer Akmal or Asad Shafiq while Umar Gul will switch spots with Wahab Riaz, if declared fit.
Final Words: Misbah was a dark horse who embraced the leadership of Pakistan cricket in the darkest of times. After unexpected success he quickly transitioned from a stallion to a cavalier but his passive and unattractive demeanor on-field appears to have more than fifty shades of grey. Will the unheralded heroes from Pakistan claim the historic series win in South Africa or will the Proteas move closer to the number one ranking that they have benchmarked themselves for?
