South Africa and Pakistan are deadlocked at 1-1 in the five-match series heading to the third ODI in Centurion. ANITHA MADIKIZELA digs into the stats around the clash at SuperSport Park.
Hashim Amla continues to rack up and extend his records for the Proteas, while Quinton de Kock and Dale Steyn will be eyeing plenty of milestones on their return to the ODI setup following a rest spell on the sidelines.
Proteas milestones to watch out for
- Hashim Amla is 53 runs away from racking up 1000 ODI career runs against Pakistan, and 108 runs short of overtaking Gary Kirsten’s 1054-runs mark to become the third-highest run-scorer against Pakistan. Amla will be keen to reach both milestones at the same venue where he recently achieved 1000 career Test runs against Pakistan. If Amla gets his hundred on Friday, he will also take his tally of centuries against Pakistan to a Proteas’ record of four – he is currently tied with AB de Villiers at three centuries apiece.
- Aiden Markram needs 93 runs to reach 500 ODI career runs, and will hope to get an opportunity to reach the milestone in the third ODI after being overlooked for selection so far this series.
- Kagiso Rabada is five wickets away from 100 ODI wickets, and will be keen to get a second career five-for in order to reach the milestone in Centurion in style.
- Andile Phehlukwayo needs two more wickets to get to 50 ODI career wickets, and the allrounder will hope to carry his form from the second ODI at Kingsmead over to Centurion.
Pakistan milestones to watch out for
- Imad Wasim is 20 runs away from 500 ODI career runs and he was unfortunate not to get the opportunity in the first two ODIs, having not batted in Port Elizabeth and not played in Durban.
- Imam-ul-Haq will hope to have a good outing with the bat in the third ODI in order to get the 90 runs he needs to reach 1000 ODI career runs. Fellow opener Fakhar Zaman is the fastest ever to 10000 ODI runs, reaching the milestone in 18 matches in July 2018. Imam-ul-Haq will hope to slip into second spot on the list by getting to 1000 ODI runs in his next two matches, as that would put him ahead of an illustrious pack of batsmen who reached the mark in 21 innings: Viv Richards (West Indies), Kevin Pietersen (England), Jonathan Trott (England), Quinton de Kock (South Africa) and Babar Azam (Pakistan).
- Shadab Khan is five away from 50 ODI wickets, and will hope a maiden career five-for will get him to the milestone at SuperSport Park.
- Mohammad Rizwan needs 40 more to reach 500 ODI career runs. He will hope to get his opportunity in the upcoming ODIs after not featuring in the first two matches in the series.
- Captain Sarfaraz Ahmed will hope his bat does all the talking in the third ODI following the controversy sparked in Kingsmead. He needs 64 runs to reach 2000 ODI career runs, and will be keen to get it done in Centurion in order to move on from his low point in the field at Kingsmead.
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Records in Centurion
- Amla is the leading run-scorer at SuperSport Park with 879 runs at an average of 67.61 and a strike rate of 93.81. He has also been prolific in the field with 11 catches, the third-most at the venue. He is two catches away from overtaking the injured JP Duminy in second place, and three away from equalling the retired AB de Villiers’ 14 catches at Centurion.
- Quinton de Kock is just 76 away from overtaking AB’s 637 runs (20 matches) and becoming the fourth-highest run-scorer at the venue. The left-hander has been prolific at his domestic home ground and has already accumulated 562 runs at an average of 80.28 (strike rate 112.85 ). He is also two dismissals away from overtaking Dave Richardson’s nine at SuperSport Park, and becoming the second-most prolific wicketkeeper at the ground in ODI cricket – although he’s still a long way from Mark Boucher’s record of 35 dismissals at the ground.
- Dale Steyn needs two more wickets to overtake Wayne Parnell as the second-best ODI wicket-taker on the Centurion track. He is still 10 away from Pollock’s record 32 wickets at the venue, but will be keen to get the chance to chip away at that deficit if he gets his opportunity in the third ODI after being rested for the first two.
READ MORE: Six things worth knowing about SA’s ODI record in Centurion
The series so far
- Rassie van der Dussen has taken his opportunities with both hands during his debut ODI series, and is currently the leading run-scorer with 173 runs at a 77.23 strike rate and a high score of 93.
- Phehlukwayo was sensational with the bat and ball in the second ODI at Kingsmead, and the all-rounder is the series’ leading wicket-taker with 5 dismissals so far.
