South Africa vs Pakistan 1st T20 Prediction

SA Team News

Lutho Sipamla could make his debut having been called up for the first time after impressing in the Mzansi Super League. The MSL has had a big impact on selection, with selectors also pointing to the form of Rassie van der Dussen, Beuran and Reeza Hendricks, Anrich Nortje and Gihahn Cloete. Cloete will keep wicket at some point in this series, it has been confirmed.

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Rassie van der Dussen comes into this series having hit three half-centuries in his debut ODI series – for which he was selected on the back of his success in T20 franchise cricket. That included, in December, the Mzansi Super League, where he was top run-scorer with 469 in 11 innings. His four half-centuries including an unbeaten one as Jozi Stars won the final.

Quinton de Kock was also in form in the Mzansi Super League and signed off from the recent ODI series – after being rested for the first two games – by scoring 83 in the decisive fifth match. De Kock has hit four T20 centuries in his career so far, including one in this year’s Mzansi Super League.Reeza Hendricks, meanwhile, hit an unbeaten 83 in the third ODI and, alongside van der Dussen and de Kock, was one of three batsmen to pass 400 runs in the Mzansi Super League having hit two centuries along the way.

With the ball, Andile Phehlukwayo is coming into this series on the back of his eight wickets in the ODIs. He starred with bat and ball in the second match, scoring an unbeaten 69 after taking 4-22.

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South Africa beat Australia in their most recent T20 match, in a game actually reduced to ten overs per side due to rain, having won both completed matches to see off Zimbabwe in the series before that. They did lose a one-off game to Sri Lanka beforehand, however.

Against Sri Lanka they were bowled out for just 98, suffering a three-wicket defeat, but did exactly what was expected of them against Zimbabwe. The first match saw Rassie van der Dussen hit a debut half-century in a total of 160/6 before Imran Tahir’s five-wicket haul helped bowl Zimbabwe out for 126. They then restricted Zimbabwe to 132/7 before claiming a six-wicket win with 28 balls to spare to wrap up the series. The final game was washed out.Most recently, in Australia, Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks put on 42 in 17 balls for the first wicket, in the reduced ten-over game, and Faf du Plessis scored a quick 27. Their score of 108/6 proved 21 runs too many for Australia in reply.