NEW DELHI: Pakistan's white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan expressed confidence that his team remains unfazed by South Africa's remarkable home performance ahead of their upcoming multi-format series in Durban.
The visitors are set to engage with South Africa in a comprehensive series comprising three T20Is, three ODIs and two Test matches. The pitches are anticipated to offer considerable bounce, presenting a stark difference from typical Asian conditions.
South Africa's home ground has witnessed matches against various teams since the previous year, including the West Indies, the Netherlands, England, Australia and India in ODI format. Notably, amongst the major cricket nations, only India succeeded in clinching a series victory on South African soil.
The Proteas' Test performance at home has been particularly noteworthy. They maintain an unbeaten record in Test matches this year, with their most recent home series loss occurring in 2018/19 when Sri Lanka achieved unexpected victories in Durban and Gqeberha.
Speaking ahead of the series opener, a T20I scheduled for Tuesday in Durban, Rizwan dismissed the significance of both teams' historical performances, asserting that the touring side remains unintimidated by the hosts' impressive track record.
"It doesn't matter to us which team played where and what they achieved. Even what we did doesn't matter because it is past. It is a new challenge for us, and we want to perform well," Rizwan said on Pakistan Cricket's YouTube channel.
South Africa maintain its exceptional performance across all formats, while Pakistan enter the contest with positive momentum.
Pakistan's recent success in overseas conditions started with their landmark ODI series victory in Australia last month, followed by successful T20I and ODI campaigns in Zimbabwe.
Pakistan T20I squad: Mohammad Rizwan (captain, wk), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wk)South Africa T20I squad: Heinrich Klaasen (captain), Ottneil Baartman, Matthew Breetzke, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Patrick Kruger, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Nqaba Peter, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Andile Simelane, Rassie van der Dussen. The TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the ...
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