New Delhi:
Pakistan after being humiliated by India in their first encounter of Champions Trophy 2017 will face off South Africa on Wednesday in a do-or-die encounter in Edgbaston, Birmingham.
South Africa at the other hand would like to upgrade to semis by winning this encounter as their next match will be against India and could be a hard nut to crack.
South Africa is a strong contender for the title and most of the players of the team are in good touch and they will have an upper hand over relevantly less experienced Pakistani side.
Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur after the defeat against India suggested his players to back themselves.
"My issue is getting out there and really looking to take the game on and just believing in themselves and believing that they can take the game on," Mickey said.
"I think the mood is OK," Sarfraz told reporters at Edgbaston on Tuesday. "A little disappointed after they lost the match, but now the mood is okay. The guys are really focused on the next match."
Sarfraz Ahmed went ahead and named his side for the game, confirming that Junaid Khan will come in for the injured Wahab Riaz, while Fakhar Zaman will make his ODI debut in Ahmed Shehzad’s place.
South Africa in their previous encounter defeated Sri Lanka by 96 runs with Hasim Amla scoring a brilliant hundred and Imran Tahir taking four wickets to completely outplay the island nation in their tournament opener.
However, today’s match will be equally important for both Pakistan and South Africa. To stay alive in the tournament for Pakistan and to secure a safe place into semis for South Africa.
History:
The two teams have met at this venue during the 2013 Champions Trophy, with South Africa posting 234 for nine before bowling Pakistan out for 167. Hashim Amla was the star performer with 81.
Pakistan have won three of the last four games between these two sides, including the 2015 World Cup encounter in Auckland.
However only two Pakistan players from that game - Ahmed Shehzad and Sarfraz Ahmed - are part of the current squad, while only three players - Rilee Rossouw, Dale Steyn and Kyle Abbott - are missing for South Africa.
Weather Report: Large amounts of rain have fallen in Birmingham since Sunday, but the skies started to clear on Tuesday afternoon and no rain is forecast for this match.
Venue: Edgbaston, Birmingham
Pakistan Probable XI: Pakistan Probable XI: Azhar Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (c & wk), Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali
South Africa Probable XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers (c), JP Duminy, David Miller, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir
