Fri Dec 13 16:24:08 UTC 2024: ## South Africa and Pakistan Clash in Crucial T20 Series
**DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA** – South Africa and Pakistan, both recent T20 World Cup finalists, will face off in a three-match T20I series beginning Tuesday, December 10th, in Durban. The series, which continues in Centurion on December 13th and Johannesburg on December 14th (all matches at 16:00 GMT), marks a crucial test for two teams struggling for form in the shortest format of the game.
South Africa will be led by stand-in captain Heinrich Klaasen, with regular skipper Aiden Markram rested for the upcoming Test series. Key players Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, and Tristan Stubbs are also absent. However, the return of Anrich Nortje and Tabraiz Shamsi, both absent since the T20 World Cup, offers a boost.
Pakistan, meanwhile, welcomes back their limited-overs captain, Mohammad Rizwan, after a break from the Zimbabwe series. While star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi is included in the squad, he is being managed carefully with the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in mind. Naseem Shah, however, misses out.
Both teams enter the series on the back of disappointing recent performances. South Africa suffered a 3-1 defeat to India and have lost their last three bilateral T20I series. Pakistan, despite a 2-1 win over Zimbabwe, recently endured a 3-0 whitewash in Australia and have lost three of their last six series.
The two nations have a long history in T20 cricket, with 22 previous encounters. Pakistan holds a slight advantage with 12 wins to South Africa’s 10. This series promises a close contest as both teams seek to reignite their T20 fortunes. Al Jazeera will provide live text and photo coverage of each match, starting three hours before the first ball.
First Piper 