New Delhi: Match number 26 of the ICC World Cup 2023, will be played between South Africa and Pakistan at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday. The objectives of the two teams walking into the match are going to be very different, as on one side, the South African cricket team will be looking to take the top spot away from India, while on the other hand, the Pakistani team will a battle for survival after their horrible run in the last three games. The Proteas will be taking the field as the clear favourites, but the Pakistan team is more than capable of making a strong comeback. Pakistan have a mighty task ahead of them, as they come up against the South African juggernaut! As the race to the Top 4️⃣ intensifies, who'll grab 2 vital points? Tune-in to #PAKvSA in the #WorldCupOnStar FRI, OCT 27, 12:30 PM onwards | Star Sports Network#CWC23 #Cricket pic.twitter.com/E6fsiEReIB — Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) October 25, 2023 Journey so far If we leave the Netherlands game, South Africa has been an absolute force to be reckoned with. The Proteas have defeated Sri Lanka by 102 runs, Australia by 134 runs, England by 229 runs and Bangladesh by 149 runs. If it hadn’t been for the Dutch side’s 38 runs upset, South Africa would have been the table topper at the moment. However, they will be getting their chance to claim the summit of the points table, if they manage to get the best of the Pakistani Team. Unstoppable Quinton de Kock hits his third #CWC23 ton to power South Africa in Mumbai 👊@mastercardindia Milestones 🏏#SAvBAN pic.twitter.com/XFs51XiVBp — ICC (@ICC) October 24, 2023 On the other hand, the Pakistani team seemed clueless after their first two games of the tournament. They started their campaign with victories over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka, as they defeated them by 81 runs and 6 wickets, respectively. However, nothing seems to be going in Pakistan’s way since they lost to the hosts India by 7 wickets in Ahmedabad. They have lost to Australia by 62 runs and also to Afghanistan by 8 wickets. Their team combination looks unsettled, and the off-field drama going around their statements and actions doesn’t seem to be helping them either. Great words from a great player to his boys ahead of South Africa vs Pakistan clash. #PAKvsSApic.twitter.com/MS1IDMF71L — 𝗭𝗨𝗡𝗔𝗜𝗥𝗔 🏏🇵🇰 (@ItxmeZuni) October 26, 2023 They can, however, make a strong comeback if they can get the best of the South African team on Friday, and it will give them a huge boost in the points table and the overall morale of the team, going forward in the tournament. Head-to-head record Pakistan vs South Africa in World Cups since 2000: 2009 T20 WC - PAK won 2010 T20 WC - PAK won 2012 T20 WC - PAK won 2015 WC - PAK won 2019 WC - Pak won 2022 T20 WC - PAK won Can Pakistan Win Today's Game 🧐#PAKvsSA pic.twitter.com/a6xjabj73u — VINEETH𓃵🦖 (@sololoveee) October 27, 2023 If we look at the head-to-head record of the two teams, they have faced each other 82 times before Friday in ODI cricket, in which Proteas dominated with 51 wins compared to that of Pakistan’s 30 wins. One match between the two teams has ended with no results. In the World Cups, the two teams locked horns against each other 5 times, in which, once again, the Proteas had a slight edge, winning three times, while the Pakistani team managed to get the ‘W’ twice. The match on Friday is going to be very important as all the team's upcoming strategies will also be a result of the outcome of this match.
