Pakistan Elects to Bat First in Men’s ODI WC Clash Against South Africa

In the 26th match of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat first against South Africa.

South Africa made three changes to their lineup, bringing in Temba Bavuma, Lungi Ngidi, and Tabraiz Shamsi for Reeza Hendricks, Kagiso Rabada, and Lizaad Williams. Meanwhile, Pakistan made two changes, with Wasim Jr. replacing the unwell Hasan Ali and Mohammad Nawaz taking Usman Mir’s place.

Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam, expressed their decision to bat first, emphasizing the importance of every match and their intent to score runs effectively. He acknowledged the need for improvement in all aspects, particularly in fielding.

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Bavuma, returning after missing the last two games, felt confident and mentioned the team’s inspirational performances in both batting and bowling. He likened the competition to the T20 World Cup and stressed the importance of maintaining their current level of performance.

The playing XIs for both teams are as follows:

South Africa: Quinton de Kock(w), Temba Bavuma(c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lungi Ngidi

Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Saud Shakeel, Shadab Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf