Who knew South Africa would find themselves in the England category for having the second busiest international calendar in 2024 and it comes probably at no better time than now after the Test team just put one foot in the door as far as qualification for the World Test Championship (WTC) final is concerned. Since the turnaround was short, Heinrich Klaasen has been handed the reigns of the T20 side for three matches against Pakistan in the absence of a few multi-format stars.
With regular white-ball skipper Aiden Markram going through a lean patch, how Klaasen and South Africa perform in the upcoming T20 series could go a long way in determining if South Africa do want to move on from the current captain for ever.
With the likes of Markram, Tristan Stubbs and Marco Jansen unavailable, South Africa have recalled Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi and left-arm spinning all-rounder George Linde, for three T20Is. Pakistan, hence will fancy their chances against a sort of second-string South African side as they have gone full-throttle with the squad selection for the six white-ball games against the Proteas.
When and where to watch SA vs PAK T20I series on TV and OTT in India?
The three-match T20I series between South Africa and Pakistan starting in Durban will kick off on Tuesday, December 10 at 9:30 PM IST with the remaining matches scheduled for December 13 and 14 in Centurion and Johannesburg, respectively. The SA vs PAK T20l series will have a live broadcast on Sports18 1 and Sports18 1 HD channels on TV in India with the live streaming being available on the JioCinema app and website.
Squads
South Africa: Heinrich Klaasen (c/wk), Ottneil Baartman, Matthew Breetzke, Donovan Ferreira (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Patrick Kruger, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Nqaba Peter, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Andile Simelane, and Rassie van der Dussen
Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (c/wk), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir, Usman Khan (wk)