Pakistan and South Africa will face each other in the second ODI of their ongoing three-match series on Thursday at Newlands, Cape Town. Pakistan kicked off the series positively, beating South Africa by three wickets in the first game. With Pakistan leading 1-0 after a commanding victory in the first match, the series is shaping up to be a highly competitive contest. 

In the first match, Pakistan demonstrated solid team performance as they chased a modest total of 239 set by South Africa. Central to the success was Saim Ayub, who scored a brilliant century. His 109-run knock anchored the chase and provided stability in a pressure situation. Alongside him, Salman Agha played a crucial supporting role, scoring a well-timed 82-run knock. 

South Africa, on the other hand, will be looking to bounce back after their defeat in the opening match. Despite setting a competitive target, their batting fell short, with only notable contribution coming from Heinrich Klaasen, who plundered 86 off 97. 

With Pakistan leading the series, South Africa will need to level the contest to stay alive in the series. The second ODI will be crucial for both teams, with Pakistan looking to seal the series with a victory, while South Africa will aim to make a strong comeback.

HEAD-TO-HEAD
Matches: 84
No Result: 1
South Africa WON: 52
Pakistan WON: 31

SA PROBABLE XI: Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram (c), Tristan Stubbs/David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Marco Jansen, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Ottneil Baartman, Tabraiz Shamsi

PAK PROBABLE XI: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Kamran Ghulam, Salman Agha, Irfan Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed