Australia is likely to keep their current XI unchanged for their upcoming match, although they may swap one left-arm quick, either Spencer Johnson or Ben Dwarshuis, for Sean Abbott. Alex Carey highlights their strong confidence going into the competition. South Africa’s Heinrich Klaasen is undergoing a fitness test to determine his availability, which could lead to changes in their batting order. Both captains expect a high-scoring match on a flat pitch and noted the presence of dew affecting gameplay. The weather is cooler, with possible drizzle, which might influence conditions during the game.
Australia has no reason to make changes, and Alex Carey indicated that the XI would likely stay the same. They might contemplate altering their bowling attack by replacing one of their two left-arm quicks, Spencer Johnson or Ben Dwarshuis, with Sean Abbott.
Australia: (possible) 1 Matthew Short, 2 Travis Head, 3 Steve Smith (capt), 4 Marnus Labuschagne, 5 Josh Inglis (wk), 6 Alex Carey, 7 Glenn Maxwell, 8 Ben Dwarshuis, 9 Nathan Ellis, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Spencer Johnson
South Africa (possible): 1 Temba Bavuma (capt), 2 Ryan Rickelton, 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 6 David Miller, 7 Wiaan Mulder, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Lungi Ngidi
Prior to this tournament, Rawalpindi had not held ODIs since April 2023, when Pakistan and New Zealand scored 288, 291, 336, and 337 in two matches. South Africa’s captain Temba Bavuma and Carey anticipate another high-scoring match on what appears to be a flat pitch. Bavuma also mentioned that South Africa observed significant dew during a training session at the venue over the weekend, and both he and Carey believe that chasing will be easier than defending a target. The weather is expected to be cooler than in Karachi or Lahore, with a high of only 17 degrees, and some drizzle is forecasted in the afternoon, which could influence the match.
“We probably don’t want to chase 350 too many more times but our bowlers will learn a lot from that hit out.”
Australia batter Alex Carey reflects on the game against England
“We’re quite bullish about our chances. Even though in the [preceding] tri-series, we didn’t have all our guys, it still was an opportunity for us to get whatever intel that we can on the conditions and share that information with all the other guys who came in. Confidence is good. We’re quite optimistic about our chances and how far we can go in this competition.”
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma