PAK vs SA Preview, ODI World Cup 2023: 'Cornered' Pakistan to take on might South Africa in 'do-or-die' clash in Chennai

It’s one more time when the 1992 World Cup champions, Pakistan are on the verge of exiting a marquee international tournament. They have now lost 3 out of the 5 matches, they played so far in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023. After winning the first two games against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka, the men in green lost to the arch-rivals, India followed by the crushing defeats against Australia and the lower-ranked team like Afghanistan.

Now, with the hopes high and shoulders down, Babar Azam’s men will take the field in an ‘all in or all out’ clash against mighty South Africa, who are enjoying a golden run in the tournament with four wins out of 5 matches, they played so far with a sensational net run rate.

‘Cornered’ Pakistan will lock horns with ‘confident’ Proteas in this must-win match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai tomorrow, Friday, October 27. Notably, Babar Azam’s men had gone through the same kind of situation where they got themselves rescued at the hands of the Netherlands last year in the T20 World Cup 2022. In that situation, they made it through to the final of the tournament after losing two consecutive matches in the start.

With all this, here we’ll have a look at the pitch report, weather conditions, probable playing XIs and all you need to know about this clash between Pakistan and South Africa.

Pakistan vs South Africa, Pitch Report and Playing Conditions:

The surface at the MA Chidambaram Stadium is famously known for its assistance and support for the spinners. They can find a brilliant grip on the track which creates trouble and struggle for the batters. Considering that, the team winning the toss will look ahead to chase the total after restricting the opponent to a low total. So, if Pakistan skipper Babar Azam wins the toss, he would not like to repeat the mistake he made against Afghanistan by batting first after winning the toss at the same venue.

Pakistan vs South Africa, Weather Update:

The weather on match day at the stadium in Chennai will mostly be covered by clouds; the highest temperature will go up to 32 degrees Celsius. There will also be an interference of the winds from the east-northeast at a speed of 15km/hr. The humidity will also be quite significant as its percentage will be around 71% during the first half of the match. But the later part of the match in the second innings might also witness the dew factor as the sun sets and the temperature goes quite lower to 26 degrees Celsius.

Pakistan vs South Africa, Head-to-Head

Total Matches Played – 82

Matches won by Pakistan – 30

Matches won by South Africa – 51

No-Result – 1