Match: South Africa v Pakistan, 3rd ODI (5 match series)
Series: 1 – 1
Venue: The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa
Date & Time: 17th March, 2013, 01:00 PST / 08:00 GMT
Overall Rivalry: Dominance; South Africa 39 wins, Pakistan 19 wins
Weather Report: Sunny and windy. Temperature can be as high as 28C and winds can blow up to 25mph. Clear sky with no chance of rain.
Ground Report: Back to where it all started from, this is where Pakistan was bundled for 49 in the first innings of the first Test on this tour. The Bullring is fast and furious with steep bounce. It is also the ground South Africa successfully chased down 434 against the Aussies. The pitch is generally well prepared and should give a level playing field through the day.
Game On: For the first time on this tour, Pakistan will go into a game with some real momentum behind them. The win from Friday night will still be fresh in the hearts and minds of the teams that will step onto the ground on Sunday morning. Few pundits had predicted a Pakistan win in the second ODI and even fewer expect them to find enough consistency to make it two in a row against the formidable Proteas.
This is where the real test lies for Pakistan, are they going to be a flash in the pan in South Africa or will this team led by Misbah-ul-Haq surprise everyone like they have before?
Pakistan have found the right bowling combination with its best three fast bowlers operating in tandem with three quality spinners. What might have seemed an obvious choice in attack was finally in motion but a pulled hamstring on Mohammad Irfan might keep him out of the game on Sunday.
Pakistani batting continues to remain a struggle and will always be vulnerable to collapse through a South African fast bowling demolition or a self-inflicted destruction, most likely a combination of both. A target of 192 is very different from chasing or posting something in the vicinity of 275.
The promotion of Kamran Akmal up the order is a positive move which gives impetus to a sluggish middle order; Kamran playing mainly due to his batting prowess had scored 8 runs in his last 7 matches before the game on Friday.
For South Africa, Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers are the top two batsmen in the world, but, Graeme Smith is the only other batsmen in the top 50 amongst the current South African stock. Here is a slight window of opportunity for Pakistan to breathe through and potentially capitalise on.
With permanent middle order positions still up for grabs and JP Duminy nursing an injury, Faf du Plesis, Colin Ingram and Farhaan Behardien will be looking to cement their own places in the squad.
In support of breast cancer, the organisers are attempting for a record appearance of people wearing pink at any one place. The South African team might also appear in support for the noble cause; after all, only real men wear pink.
However, focus and onus will be shifted right back on the Pakistani batsmen, on the venue they were first rattled at, they will need to stand tall for their team to come up trumps.
Game Changer: How teams cope with windy ground conditions on a pitch with pace and bounce should have a significant impact on the outcome of this game. Control and discipline will be as important as aggression and flare.
Pre-Game Talk: “We need to keep this momentum. We're settling down and getting out, we need to show responsibility, if someone gets 20-30 runs, he needs to carry on.” Misbah-ul-Haq is urging his batsmen to take responsibility.
“It's still a big series. We are mature enough to know exactly where we went wrong. Come Sunday, we'll come back fighting again. Hopefully, there'll be pace and bounce in Johannesburg.” AB de Villiers hints at what Pakistan should expect on Sunday.
Last XI Fielded South Africans: Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers (capt and wk), Colin Ingram, Faf du Plessis, Farhaan Behardien, Ryan McLaren, Robin Peterson, Kyle Abbott, Dale Steyn, LonwaboTsotsobe
Last XI Fielded Pakistanis: Nasir Jamshed, Mohammad Hafeez, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), ShahidAfridi, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal (wk), Umar Gul, Junaid Khan, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Irfan
Possible Changes:
South Africa: Unless Morne Morkel is declared fit, South Africa should go in unchanged.
Pakistan: Misbah will look for some consistency and is likely to field the same combination. However, a hamstring niggle to Mohammad Irfan may give Wahab Riaz a slot in the showdown.
Final Words: Pakistan cannot show lack of hunger and be content with a solitary win. Infamous for volatility, if they are to be in serious contention of winning the series, they have to come out with positive intent and tick like clockwork. It may be an uphill task but stranger things have happened on a cricket field; like a bunch of men wearing pink?
