Pakistan face confident SA in must-win match

Birmingham, June 6: Embarrassed by India in their opening match, Pakistan will strive to stay alive in the competition as they take on a confident South Africa in a mustwin Group A ICC Champions Trophy match here on Wednesday.

The two teams are approaching the encounter with contrasting results in their tournament openers. Pakistan received a severe 124-run hammering from India while South Africa outclassed Sri Lanka by 96 runs.

Another defeat will virtually knock Pakistan out of the tournament but it will be a humongous task for them to stop the Proteas, who are ranked number one in the ODI rankings. Following the abject surrender by their batsmen against India, the Pakistan batting line-up is under immense pressure to deliver. They found India’s pacers too hot to handle and South Africa too have a potent pace battery.

Led by young Kagiso Rabada and well complemented by seniors Morne Morkel and Wayne Parnell, South Africa have a strong attack. Pakistan batsmen drew flak from their past legends for the poor show against India and now have a point to prove.

South Africa have a fearsome top-order, led by Hashim Amla, who has scored runs in all formats of the game. AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis man the top and middle order and Pakistan bowlers have a task at hand to stop them.

After failure against Sri Lanka, the skipper would look to get into the groove before the knockout stage begins. The way Chris Morris batted and bowled in the IPL, he showed he can destroy the opposition on his day.

Fast bowling has been their strength but losing Wahab Riaz is not something Pakistan would be amused by.