Pakistan opt to bowl first in 2nd T20

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Britain Cricket - Pakistan v South Africa - 2017 ICC Champions Trophy Group B - Edgbaston - June 7, 2017 South Africa’s AB de Villiers looks dejected after he was out Action Images via Reuters / Andrew Boyers Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY.

JOHANNESBURG: Pakistan won the toss and sent South Africa in to bat in the second Twenty20 international at the Wanderers Stadium on Sunday.

Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik said the possibility of rain had influenced his decision to field first despite having failed by six runs in a chase in the opening match in Cape Town on Friday.

Malik said left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi would replace Faheem Ashraf in the Pakistan team. “We were lacking the ability to strike early in the first game,” he said.

South Africa fielded two new caps in opening batsman Janneman Malan, 22, and fast bowler Lutho Sipamla, 20.

They replaced captain Faf du Plessis, who is being rested for the final two matches of the series, and batsman-wicketkeeper Gihahn Cloete.

“It will be nice to put a score on the board and put them under pressure,” said stand-in captain David Miller, who said South Africa were keen to clinch the three-match series with a game to spare.

Both captains noted that the pitch helped spin bowlers in a women´s international match played earlier on the same surface.

Teams:

South Africa: David Miller (captain), Reeza Hendricks, Janneman Malan, Rassie van der Dussen, Heinrich Klaasen (wkt), Andile Phehlukwayo, Chris Morris, Lutho Sipamla, Beuran Hendricks, Junior Dala, Tabraiz Shamsi

Pakistan: Shoaib Malik (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Rizwan (wkt), Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Shinwari

Umpires: Adrian Holdstock, Allahudien Paleker (both RSA)

TV umpire: Bongani Jele (RSA)

Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)

Squads

South Africa: Gihahn Cloete, Junior Dala, Beuran Hendricks, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Chris Morris, Willem Mulder, Andile Phehlukwayo, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Lutho Sipamla, Janneman Malan

Pakistan: Asif Ali, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali, Hussain Talat, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hafeez, Sahibzada Farhan, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Usman Shinwari, Mohammad Rizwan