South Africa vs Pakistan | Cricket Match Prediction | 2nd Test | Jan 03 – Can PAK level it or RSA will win?

RSA vs PAK Match Analysis

The last test of a two-match test series between South Africa and Pakistan will occur on January 3, 2025, at 2:30 p.m. BST at Newlands, Cape Town. 

South Africa, with their victory in the first Test, have become the first team to secure their spot in the WTC Final at Lord’s in June, with the only uncertainty being who they will face in six months.

Pakistan, the most predictably unpredictable side in international cricket, is always a topic of interest, and a quick look at their recent results confirms this.

RSA vs PAK Team Preview & Squads

South Africa 

South Africa, on a low-scoring pitch, demonstrated remarkable resilience and skill to chase down their target of 148 in Centurion, securing the win with two wickets remaining. Batting fourth proved challenging both technically and mentally, but they showed plenty of composure.

Aiden Markram was the standout batter for both teams, scoring 89 of South Africa’s 301 in the first innings and contributing 37 in their successful chase of 150/8. Long considered a player who hadn’t reached his full potential, Markram will enter the next Test full of confidence following these performances.

With the ball, RSA’s four-man attack proved highly effective, and we expect Kagiso Rabada, Corbin Bosch, Dane Paterson, and Marco Jansen to be equally dangerous in Cape Town.

South Africa Squads

South Africa Squads

Marco Jansen, Kyle Verreynne, Tristan Stubbs, Keshav Maharaj, David Bedingham, Wiaan Mulder, Temba Bavuma (c), Kwena Maphaka, Dane Paterson, Ryan Rickelton, Matthew Breetzke, Kagiso Rabada, Aiden Markram, Senuran Muthusamy, Corbin Bosch, and Tony de Zorzi.

Pakistan

After being soundly beaten by England in their opening Test in October, Pakistan bounced back with victories by 152 runs and nine wickets. However, the Boxing Day defeat in Centurion will be hard to recover from, as they came so close to claiming their third consecutive win.

Heading into this Test, Babar Azam will feel more comfortable after scoring a half-century in the second innings, and Saud Shakeel continues to impress with consistent performances. With the ball, Mohammad Abbas came close to securing a win for the visitors in Centurion, and no South African batter will be eager to face him after his brilliant 6/54 in the second innings.

Pakistan Squads

Pakistan Squads

Noman Ali, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Rizwan, Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Abbas, Khurram Shahzad, Saim Ayub, Agha Salman, Kamran Ghulam, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Aamer Jamal, Haseebullah Khan, and Mir Hamza.

South Africa vs Pakistan outfield report

Newlands, Cape Town

We anticipate that both captains will head out to the middle wanting to bowl first because the team chasing in the fourth innings of the game has won three of the last four Test matches at Newlands.

Clear sky and heavy humidity are predicted for all five days, with temperatures reaching the mid-twenties and no rain.

The ball can dominate the bat at Newlands, as demonstrated by the two-day Test match in January of last year, which witnessed scores of 55, 176, 153, and 80/3.

South Africa vs Pakistan Head-to-Head Stats of Last 5 Matches

RSA won three of their five games, while PAK won two.

South Africa vs Pakistan Prediction

Cricket analysts predict South Africa has a 69% chance of winning.

Disclaimer: This cricket prediction is based on the author’s insights and analysis. Readers should consider the points discussed and draw their own conclusions.