Match Analysis In Brief
| Date | Friday 27th October 2023 at 14:00 (IST) and at 09:30 (UK) |
| Venue | Pakistan vs South Africa will take place at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, India |
| Weather | Conditions are expected to be hot in Chennai throughout this game, with bright sunshine breaking out following the start of play and remaining until the evening, whilst temperatures should hover at around 30c across the majority of play. |
| TV and streaming | Viewers in India: you can watch this match live on Star Sports channels or stream it via the Disney+ Hotstar app. |
| Viewers in Pakistan: you can watch this match live on both PTV Sports and A-Sports or stream it through the PTVFLIX App. | |
| Viewers in Sri Lanka: you can watch this match live on Maharaja TV or stream it on Sirasatv. Lk. | |
| Viewers in Afghanistan: can watch this match live you on Ariana TV. | |
| Viewers in Bangladesh can watch it on Gazi TV or stream it through Rabbithole. | |
| Viewers in the UK: can watch this match live on Sky Sports or stream it via the Sky Go App. | |
| Viewers in Australia: you can watch this match live on Fox Sports or stream it via the Foxtel or Kayo Sports app. | |
| Viewers in South Africa: can watch this match on SuperSport channels or stream it via the SuperSport app. | |
| Viewers in the USA and Canada: can watch this match live on Willow TV, whilst viewers from the USA can also stream it via the ESPN+ app. |
KEY BETTING STATS
- South Africa have won four of their five 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup group stage matches so far – To Win the Match
- .Quinton de Kock has struck three hundreds for South Africa across the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup group stage so far – Batter to Score a Hundred in the Match
- .Hasan Ali has taken under 1.5 wickets for Pakistan in each of their last three 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup group stage matches – Bowler Total Match Wickets
.BETTING ANALYSIS For PAKISTAN
Pakistan won’t have fond memories of Chennai, having played there this past Monday and lost by eight wickets against Afghanistan, who were superior in all facets of the game. The spin bowlers of Pakistan failed to extract the sort of assistance that a Chennai pitch can usually offer, with Usama Mir and Shadab Khan both going wicketless.
Abdullah Shafique continued his fine form with the bat, the opener having now passed the half-century mark in three of his four innings played across the group stage so far, having accrued scores of 58, 64, 20, and 113. Back Shafique to score another fifty in this match (3.00). Captain Babar Azam has achieved the same feat in two of Pakistan’s last three games, most recently scoring 74 against Afghanistan. Consider backing Babar to finish as Pakistan’s top batter (3.60) for the third time in their most recent four group fixtures.
Shaheen Shah Afridi remains Pakistan’s bowling spearhead, regardless of the conditions, although despite gaining the breakthrough first wicket for his side last time out, they couldn’t capitalise. The left-arm-pacer has taken eight wickets in his last three appearances, including 5/54 against Australia and if anyone can go head-to-head with this formidable South African batting line-up, he can. Regardless of whether Pakistan bowls first or second here, back Shaheen to take over 1.5 wickets (1.83) and finish as their top bowler (3.40)
BETTING ANALYSIS For SOUTH AFRICA
Another dominant display batting first from South Africa in Mumbai saw them blow away Bangladesh by 149 runs on Tuesday, their fourth group stage victory achieved by a margin of over 100 runs. Reeza Hendricks again filled in for skipper Temba Bavuma, at the top of the order, but could only score 12 runs which may quieten the calls for him to remain in the side when Bavuma returns to full fitness.
Heinrich Klaasen continues to emphasise why he is seen as arguably the most destructive six-hitter in white ball cricket today. Following his 67-ball 109 against England with four sixes, Klaasen smashed 90 in just 49 balls last time out vs Bangladesh, clearing the ropes eight times. Expect the 32-year-old to add to his 12 sixes across South Africa’s last two games here and backing him to score the most match sixes against Pakistan (6.00) has to be favoured.
We advised bettors to invest in Quinton de Kock vs Bangladesh, noting that he was due a big score after two consecutive failures. The opener didn’t disappoint by racking up a monster score of 174, the highest individual total of this World Cup so far, which takes his overall run tally to 407. He warrants further backing here in multiple markets such as Team – Top Batter (3.75), Batter Milestones, specifically to score 50+ runs (2.50) and also to score over 3.5 total match fours (1.72).
Bowler Gerald Coetzee continues to stand out among the Proteas bowling attack, and his 3/62 against Bangladesh means that the right-arm quick has now picked up ten wickets in four appearances across the group stage. Such consistency demands investment, so back Coetzee to gain another 2+ wickets (2.00) vs Pakistan.
CRICKET 8’S EXPERT PREDICTION
Pakistan’s awful recent run of three straight defeats has left their semi-final qualification hopes hanging in the balance, with four group matches left. More worrying, though, was the manner of their most recent loss and how poorly they performed in all departments. They fail to accrue big scores, with just two individual hundreds (both against Sri Lanka) in five games. South Africa, in contrast, has racked up six individual hundreds, Quinton De Kock accounting for half of those.
The firepower and depth of South Africa’s batting is significantly stronger than that of Pakistan. While the latter can be a mercurial outfit, especially with the ball, South Africa is the better all-round side based on what we’ve seen across the tournament. Therefore, expect the Proteas to make it five wins from six group fixtures and subject Pakistan to a second straight defeat in Chennai this week.
TIP
SOUTH AFRICA TO WIN (1.53)
