South Africa VS Pakistan 1st Test Venue: Centurian Park, Centurian
South Africa VS Pakistan 1st Test Date: Thursday, December 26 to Sunday, Monday, December 30
BetXchange South Africa VS Pakistan 1st Test Test Odds:
History
South Africa and Pakistan will close out their 2024 fixtures with the final leg of a three-format tour.
The nations first faced off in white-ball cricket in mid-December. South Africa won the three-match T20I series 2-0, taking the first two contests before the third was abandoned due to rain.
The tables tuned in the ODIs, with Pakistan dominating the series. They swept the Proteas in their backyard, winning Paarl, Cape Town, and Johannesburg matches.
The tour’s final leg is a pair of test matches, which are the most crucial part of the tour for South Africa. The Proteas enter the Boxing Day Test knowing that a win keeps them on track to qualify for the ICC World Test Championship final. This is a one-off Test next June at Lord’s in London.
South Africa would qualify by winning either Test against Pakistan, but winning the first Test would remove the nerves that would come with a sudden-death qualification scenario in the second Test.
South Africa has been in great form, with five successive Test wins over the West Indies, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka putting them in this position. A win would see them face one of Australia, India, or Sri Lanka in the final.
South Africa
South Africa is waiting on the fitness of two key players for this Test series. Wiaan Mulder broke a finger against Sri Lanka last month, but the all-rounder is fighting to be fit for both these Tests.
Keshav Maharaj’s fitness is also in question. The left-arm spinner has missed the three ODIs with an adductor strain. The South African armory lacks spin options, so getting Maharaj back would be crucial to the Proteas’ chances of victory.
Pakistan
Former fast bowler Aqib Javed has stepped into the hole left by Jason Gillespie, who dramatically quit as head coach last month. Pakistan’s red-ball cricket is in shambles, so Javed has a task on his hands to get this team to play to the level of its component parts.
The tourists will look to young Saim Ayoub to continue his form from the ODIs into the Tests. The 22-year-old was magnificent in the three-game series, powering his way to runs with a technique that belies his age.
Add in the handy contributions of Salman Ali Agha, Naseem Shah, and Mohammad Rizwan; this squad suddenly looks dangerous.
Best Bets
History is well on the hosts’ side in this matchup. Pakistan has never won a Test series in South Africa and has lost its last seven Matches in the Rainbow nation.
I like South Africa to win this at 7/10. The Proteas have more to play for and are in terrific form, though the way that Pakistan batted in the ODIs shows that this won’t be simple.
Taking a flier on Ayoub to be the Pakistani top batsman at 23/5 is also something I would consider if you want a bet with longer odds.
