With the series interestingly poised at 1-1 after two games, Pakistan and South Africa will play the third One Day International (ODI) at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
Where to Watch Live:
The 3rd ODI will begin at 04:30 pm IST on Wednesday and it will be telecast live on Ten Cricket and Ten HD in India, and on PTV Sports in Pakistan.
Overview:
Pakistan bounced back in the previous match with a 66-run win to level the series 1-1 after a nerve-wrecking defeat in the first match. With the five-match series now turning into three-match affair, both the teams will be keen to win the contest on Wednesday.
Previous Meetings:
South Africa have 43-21 win-loss and one no result record against Pakistan in 65 ODIs played so far.
Team News:
Pakistan may field the same squad that won the 2nd ODI. However, South Africa will make two changes that will give the team a new look. Speedster Dale Steyn and key batsman Hashim Amla, who missed the last two matches, will join the squad on Wednesday.
Preview:
Ahmed Shehzad is in good form, scoring back-to-back half centuries for Pakistan. Skipper Misbah-ul-Haq and Shahid Afridi too have shown some spark in the series but the team has a lot to worry about, especially consistency of the batsmen. Mohammad Irfan and Afridi took three wickets apiece in the previous match, helping the team win the game by 66 runs.
South Africa too are plagued by batting inconsistency this series. They managed to score only 143 in the previous match, with Ryan McLaren's 29 being the highest score. However, the return of their opener Hashim Amla and key bowler Dale Steyn will strengthen and boost the confidence of the team.
Prediction:
South Africa are the favourites to win.
Squads:
Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain) Ahmed Shehzad, Nasir Jamshed, Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Amin, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman, Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Sohail Tanvir, Wahab Riaz, Sohaib Maqsood, Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz Ahmed
South Africa: AB de Villiers (captain), Hashim Amla, Q de Kock, JP Duminy, F du Plessis, Imran Tahir, Ryan McLaren, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Vernon Philander, Graeme Smith, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe
