Pakistan won the toss against South Africa and decided to bat first in a must-win game of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 on Sunday at the Lord’s, London.
Pakistan skipper Sarfraz Ahmed said, “Looks like a good batting pitch and some grass cover on it. We are not thinking about the pressure, just focusing on the game, which is very important for us.”
South Africa captain Faf du Plessis said, “I was going to bowl first anyway, so good toss to lose.”
Team changes
Haris Sohail and Shaheen are in for Pakistan as Shoaib Malik and Hasan Ali are out. South Africa are unchanged.
Pakistan are at 9th spot in the standings out of ten teams, one place behind their opponents today, South Africa (8th position). The Green Shirts (3 points) have played five matches so far and lost three. The Proteas – on the other hand – lost four games out of their six.
Pakistan are behind South Africa in the points table due to poor net run rate. One match each of both teams was abandoned earlier due to rain. Pakistan must win today’s contest – and all the remaining matches – in order keep their chances alive to qualify for the semi-finals.
