Payback time for Pakistan

Stats preview of the ODI series between Pakistan and South Africa

03-Feb-2007

Pakistan have lost four in a row to South Africa over the last three years © Getty Images

A closely-fought Test series - with the home side pushed to the edge - is probably just what the tour needed ahead of the one-day series. Both teams are strong contenders for the World Cup and their one-day sides have run into some good form of late, with South Africa beating India 4-0 and Pakistan winning all but one game in the four-match series at home against West Indies.

Pakistan, like all other sides barring Australia, have an ordinary record in South Africa. A look at their previous tours shows that they have been competitive in the games leading upto tournament finals but stumbled in the last hurdle. In an action-packed tri-series in 1993 they lost to West Indies in the final and in the Mandela Trophy in 1994-95, they went down to South Africa.

It was the same story in 1997-98, finishing runners-up to the home side in the Standard Bank tri-series also featuring Sri Lanka. The first bilateral contest between the two sides was in 2002-03, in the lead-up to the World Cup, with South Africa winning the series comprehensively 4-1. The World Cup that followed was rather forgettable, but Pakistan have come a long way since then.

The recent head-to-head record favours South Africa too, with four consecutive wins. In the 2003-04 tour of Pakistan, South Africa came from behind to win the five-match series 3-2. Their last victory came in the Champions Trophy last year when Pakistan crashed to 89. These facts may not make for good reading for Pakistan supporters but on paper, this current side, has the potential to settle old scores.

South Africa v Pakistan head-to-head ODI record
	Matches	Pakistan won	SA won	No result
Overall	42	13	29	nil
In SA	16	5	11	nil
In Pakistan	10	5	5	Nil
Neutral venues	16	3	13	nil

One thing both teams have in common is a strong middle and lower order, which often bails the side out of trouble after a top-order crumble. The South African lower order recently showed its prowess against India at Cape Town when they recovered to 274 after being reduced to an embarrassing 76 for 6. A look at the overall runs-per-wicket between numbers five and eight in the batting order for both sides since January 2005 is higher when compared to other teams. Pakistan (29.66) and India (29.50) have similar figures while South Africa's is particularly impressive with 33.50. Australia are on top with 41.34.

One of the players responsible for beefing up that average for South Africa is Mark Boucher. In the last year, his average of 41.94 exceeds that of heavyweights Jacques Kallis (31.08) and Graeme Smith (28.05). His 713 runs in 24 games makes him their most prolific scorer in the same period. AB de Villiers, despite his lackluster form in Tests, has had a decent run in ODIs, with 466 runs in 12 games at 42.36.

South Africa's trump card in the bowling department is, not surprisingly, Shaun Pollock. In 21 games last year, he heads the wicket-taking list with 32 scalps, followed by Makhaya Ntini, who has 28. Pollock's wickets have come at an impressive 17.34 apiece but what's amazing is his miserly economy rate of 2.98. In an era of blitzkrieg batting and team scores of over 300 - and sometimes 400 - that is a phenomenal achievement.

The third name on the list is, surprisingly, Andrew Hall, who has 26 wickets at 28.50 apiece. His skiddy pace and ability to break partnerships has made him one of the more consistent performers, but consistency isn't a word one would normally associate with his selection, both in Tests and ODIs. In the 48 ODIs South Africa have played since January 2005, Hall has played only 30. On the strength of his bowling alone, he is one player worth persisting with.

Pakistan's batting will revolve around Mohammad Yousuf, whose 627 runs in the last year (at 39.13) makes him the top run-scorer followed by Younis Khan who has 615. Abdul Razzaq is a valuable addition, after missing the Tests, and his contributions in the lower order puts him at No.3 in the list, with 455 runs at 37.91. His bowling credentials too are worth a mention: in the last year, he has taken 20 wickets, second only to Rana Naved-ul-Hasan who has 29. Razzaq has the best record against South Africa among the current Pakistan squad, with 18 wickets spread over 24 games and in fact is the third-most successful Pakistan bowler against South Africa, behind the legendary pair of Waqar Younis (58) and Wasim Akram (35).

South African pitches have often tested the consistency and skill of batsmen from the subcontinent, and Pakistan haven't always enjoyed the conditions. In 648 ODIs, their average runs per wicket is close to 30, but in South Africa, it plummets to 23.6.

Shaun Pollock Andrew Hall Mohammad Yousuf Pakistan South Africa South Africa vs Pakistan Pakistan tour of South Africa

Kanishkaa Balachandran is editorial assistant of Cricinfo