South Africa has won the toss and elected to bat field in the second ODI match against Pakistan at the Centurion.
Pakistan lost the first ODI of the five match series.
It
has been five days since South Africa delivered one of their more
convincing ODI victories but the time in between matches means it's
likely the only momentum around will be the sponsors' name. The hosts
enjoyed a short break with the most important change being that of
regaining their premier strike bowler while Pakistan have had time to
digest and regroup.
South Africa vs Pakistan 2nd ODI Live Scorecard 2013The
series is almost starting anew this weekend with a double header on the
Highveld which could end with the contest being decided by Sunday. For
South Africa, that would signal the Champions Trophy preparation is well
on track. Pakistan have to derail them to ensure next week's fixtures
in Durban and Benoni provide a fitting end to the summer.
To
judge Pakistan's one-day side on the Bloemfontein effort would be as
unfair judging their Test outfit on the 49 all out at the Wanderers. As
they showed in the longer format, they improved steadily as the contest
went on and they can be expected to do that and more in the shorter
version.
Tactically, they made poor decisions in the first match
particularly in the make-up of their bowling attack. But crucially, they
lacked energy, so much so that they asked stadium management to place a
case of Red Bull in their dressing room hours before the match. The
lethargy resulted in a mediocre showing in all departments and
Misbah-ul-Haq conceded that a collective improvement is needed if they
hope to compete.
South Africa, on the other hand, had a
near-perfect showing. Their opening batsmen were slow and steady, the
middle order piled it on and the bowlers finished off with enough menace
and skill to satisfy captain AB de Villiers.
He still wants them
to improve, not on anything specific as much as on consistency. Their
recent one-day form has seen performances like theirs on Sunday,
followed up by performances like Pakistan's. De Villiers wants to see
them continue to apply themselves throughout the three weeks this
five-match series goes on for. Only then will he consider them properly
prepared for the challenges to come.
It has been a quiet few
matches for Faf du Plessis , who has not scored a half-century since the
home series against Pakistan began. If there is a venue where he would
like to change that, it must be Centurion. Du Plessis grew from a boy to
a man at the venue and has played all his domestic cricket for the
Titans franchise. Although the South Africa middle order looked
decidedly firmer in Bloemfontein, it is far from completely solid and du
Plessis will play an important part in firming it up.
Mohammad
Hafeez is one half of the alleged battle for power in the Pakistan
setup. Although any suggestion of strife has been dismissed by the team
management, if anything was simmering below the surface the loss last
Sunday could have made it boil over. Hafeez claims he would prefer to
open but, as in the Twenty20 squad, it may be better for him to drop
down a place in order to provide either security or the ability to
accelerate. Hafeez's bowling will also be important to Pakistan's
chances of successes and he will be depended on to squeeze the hosts
when needed.
