SA vs PAK 2024/25, preview of the 1st test match of SA vs PAK

Big Picture – Can Pakistan carry ODI momentum into the Test series?

There is another Boxing Day test, but this one is big too. If South Africa win at SuperSport Park, they will be guaranteed a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. If Pakistan win, they will be sidelined (so sidelined that they are calling for an excessive fine for South Africa) of getting to Lord’s alive, but more urgently, they will keep the nation on tenterhooks for another week.

In fact, South Africa has some breathing room as they only need to win one of the next two Tests to progress to the WTC final. Even if it rains around the Highveld, they will fancy their chances against a team that has not recorded a Test victory in this country for almost 18 years and has not won a Test outside Asia since beating West Indies in August 2021. But pressure is strange things for players, especially South African players, and Pakistan, despite all the drama surrounding them, are a team that could take advantage of that.

Before coming to South Africa they passed through a rotating door of coaches, selectors and administrators and were already in the country when their Test coach resigned two weeks before the series began. Yet there was none of the shenanigans of Melbourne in the build-up to this Boxing Day Test, particularly as both teams were busy with an ODI contest that served as a build-up to the Champions Trophy. Ten South African and seven Pakistani players from their respective Test teams took part in the competition, which Pakistan won 3-0. If dynamics is a factor, it’s certainly theirs.

South Africa’s batting power, in particular, was undone and, worryingly for them, all three of their top four (Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs) fell to Salman Agha’s offspin in the first ODI. He is unlikely to enjoy the conditions at SuperSport Park but the mental scars may be there and Temba Bavuma hopes it will be easy to get over them. “Whether it’s easy or hard, we have to find a way to do it,” he said. “Whatever, I don’t know, the trauma was there, you know, the boys are going to have to deal with it.”

Bavuma was also quick to remind that the Test room is different as South Africa has more stability and focus there and is the immediate target of the WTC final. The opposite could be said of Pakistan, who have won three ODI series in a row and are heading towards a home Champions Trophy where they will defend the title.

That might mean that the teams go into this game with slightly different priorities given their current form, but that doesn’t detract from the spirit of the occasion. A Boxing Day Test with a lot at stake, taking place at the same time as another Boxing Day Test with even more at stake. It doesn’t get any bigger.

Form Guide

South Africa: WWWWW (last five tests, most recent first)
Pakistan: WLLLL

In the spotlight: Aiden Markram and Mohammad Abbas

It feels like Aiden Markram Has had a difficult time in all formats this year, but his biggest difficulties have been in the format he captains. He has just one score above 30 from 18 T20Is in 2024, and a fifty from six ODIs hasn’t helped his cause either, but his Test form has shown signs of improvement. After a century in the New Year’s Test, Markram reached fifties in Providence and Gqeberha and is also someone Bavuma said he “leans heavily” on when it comes to tactics and inspiring younger players. What Markram enjoys most is the continued support of his teammates and especially Bavuma, who says he has “sympathy” with what Markram is going through, but “that’s what makes elite sport difficult. You have to find a way to do it. And when you get to the other side, that’s generally the point where you’re happy.”

It’s now or never Mohammad Abbas who, at the age of 34, will celebrate his comeback after three years without a national team, seemingly without explanation. Abbas played 25 tests between April 2017 and August 2021, scoring 23.02. 90 wickets, but was discarded in favor of younger quicks despite excellent numbers on the county circuit. He has enjoyed four successful seasons at Hampshire, where he took 180 wickets at 19.26 and finished in the top 10 wicket-takers in 2022 and 2023, just ahead of them in 2024. They won the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, have themselves deserves a recall and hope she prevails. Abbas is 10 wickets away from 100 in Test cricket and if he gets there, he would be the 20th bowler from Pakistan to reach the milestone.

Team news

Both Keshav Maharaj (groin strain) and Wiaan Mulder (broken finger) passed fitness tests before the game but are not yet considered fit to play. South Africa opted to play without frontline spinners – and without spin bowling all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy – and opted for a 7-4 split. Corbin Bosch, who regularly bowls over 140km/h, will make his debut on his home ground, sharing bowling duties with Kagiso Rabada, Dane Paterson and Marco Jansen. Ryan Rickelton stayed in 3rd place, Tristan Stubbs moved up to 4th place.

South Africa (probably): 1 Tony de Zorzi, 2 Aiden Markram, 3 Ryan Rickelton, 4 Tristan Stubbs, 5 Temba Bavuma (captain), 6 David Bedingham, 7 Kyle Verreynne (week), 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Dane Paterson , 11 Corbin Bosch.

Pakistan could follow South Africa’s example and go full throttle, which would mean Noman Ali would no longer have a place, although they would still have Salman Agha at their disposal. In the seam department, Abbas, Aamer Jamal and Khurram Shahzad are likely to partner with 21-year-old attack leader Naseem Shah.

Pakistan (probable): 1 Abdullah Shafique, 2 Saim Ayub, 3 Shan Masood (Captain), 4 Babar Azam, 5 Saud Shakeel, 6 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 7 Salman Ali Agha, 8 Aamer Jamal, 9 Khurram Shahzad, 10 Naseem Shah , 11 Mohammad Abbas

Place and conditions

There was significant rainfall on the Highveld in the lead-up to this friendly, which a source said made preparing the pitch at SuperSport Park “difficult”. Two days later the surface was quite green, befitting its reputation. Centurion is the most seamer-friendly wicket in the country, which also makes it the most difficult for batters. While Bavuma said he had “never played on a flat Centurion wicket”, days two and three are usually good for run-scoring, but with overhead cloud batters he will “know you’re going to have a hard time working and you do too.” I will have to work hard for your runs. Play may also be suspended if thunderstorms are forecast for the first morning and afternoon and the second and third afternoons.

Statistics and interesting facts

Eight batters have scored Test centuries for South Africa in 2024. It is their joint high in a calendar year and the highest in 12 years. There were already eight centurions in 2004, 2008 and 2012.
Pakistan have won two of the 15 Tests they have played in South Africa, none since 2007 and none of their three at SuperSport Park. Their two wins came at St George’s Park and Kingsmead, the venues for the recent Sri Lanka series.
Kagiso Rabada is three wickets away from moving past Dale Steyn to become the leading wicket-taker at SuperSport Park. Rabada has played just eight Tests at the venue and has taken fewer than five wickets here only once, against India in 2018. He averages just over seven wickets per Test at the Centurion.
There have been seven Tests at SuperSport Park since January 2018 and a clear advantage for seam bowlers. They have taken 227 wickets at 23.22 compared to 16 wickets at 60.62 by spinners.

Quotes

“We accept and acknowledge the fact that a lot of expectations for the team would have increased. There will be pressure associated with this. But to be honest, we come into the series looking to win the series 2-0. We We need to understand that to achieve this we need to do certain things as a team: keep things simple, keep doing the little things right and allow the results to work themselves out We are in the WTC finals and would us Of course I would like to see it for myself. But we are here now.
Temba Bavuma is keeping South Africa in the present moment even as it chases the grand prize of reaching the WTC final

“When I went to Australia I didn’t have the time to prepare properly. It was my first overseas tour there and I made mistakes but also learned what I could change. Here, under similar conditions, I had the time to prepare and get into a positive mood.
Pakistani dough Saud Shakeel feels like he’s on a good path at the start of the series

Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo’s South Africa and women’s cricket correspondent

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