Resurgent Pakistan eye historic triumph

Misbah’s men dare to tame South Africa for maiden series victory.

KARACHI:

Pakistan have a golden opportunity to turn the tides against South Africa, a team which has dominated them throughout this year. The two sides meet Wednesday in Port Elizabeth for what will be another milestone for the Proteas.

The contest between the two opponents may have lost the gloss amid the glut this year, but the second game of the three-match One-Day International (ODI) series at the St George’s Park, where South Africa played its first Test, has its own value.

Wednesday’s game will be the 500th ODI for South Africa, and the home side will likely be going with their full strength to celebrate the landmark with a victory.

On the other hand, Misbahul Haq’s men face a rare opportunity of winning the series against their ruthless counterparts.

Pakistan have never won a series against South Africa and this is the first time since 2007 that they are one-up against their opponents, who have almost double ODI – 46 against 22 – wins in comparison.



However, it seems that weather may spoil the party, with rain predicted on the day.

Misbah hopes for a better show

Pakistan may have won the inaugural match with a 23-run victory in Cape Town, but it was not by far their best ODI effort.

Their top order continued to struggle and the visitors were down to 131 for seven at one stage before debutants Anwar Ali and Bilawal Bhatti stunned the hosts with a 74-run stand for the eighth-wicket partnership.

For the maiden series triumph, Pakistan will have to lift its batting to give the hosts a tough battle in Wednesday’s match.

Pakistan captain Misbah is hoping for a better performance from his specialist batsmen.

“It is a challenging task,” said Misbah. “We are looking to avoid the mistakes of the first game.

“The team is aware of the importance of this match and we will go ahead with a positive approach. The track appears to be favourable for batting and I am hopeful that our top order will click in the game.”

Pakistan may opt against retaining the winning combination from the first match, and there is a possibility of dropping misfiring Nasir Jamshed to pave way for either Umar Amin or Asad Shafiq.

Meanwhile, South Africa will also be eyeing a better batting show after failing to achieve the 219-run target in Newlands.

‘Conditions will suit Pakistan spinners’

Experienced all-rounder Azhar Mehmood hopes for a good result for Pakistan in the match.

“I have played in Port Elizabeth last year,” said Mehmood. “I feel the conditions there will suit Pakistan spinners.”

The all-rounder also praised the performances of Anwar and Bhatti, who excelled in their debut.

“It was after a long time that I enjoyed Pakistan’s performance. Both the youngsters were really impressive and played with a positive intent.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27^th, 2013.

Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.