Betting Tips

The first Test of the series was a classic encounter between two proud Test nations. The two-wicket victory margin shows how close these teams are in quality. The South Africans will be looking for a clean sweep this Test series. Pakistan will be looking to improve their tactics under pressure.

South Africa vs Pakistan Head-to-Head Record

South Africa have ensured that they can’t lose this home Test series with a win in the first Test. South Africa have also won three of the last five Tests against Pakistan. Pakistan have won two of them. South Africa won the previous Test series in South Africa.

South Africa vs Pakistan Live-streaming and Broadcast

The second Test between South Africa and Pakistan will happen at Newlands Cricket Stadium, Cape Town between Friday, 3 January 2025 and Tuesday, 7 January 2025. In India, catch this second Test on the Sports 18 Network TV broadcast or the JioCinema app to live-stream.

SA vs PAK Team Previews

South Africa

Opening batter Aiden Markram brings a mix of aggression and composure and will be complemented by Tony de Zorzi on the left-hander’s home ground. Markram hit 89 runs in the first innings in game one. Ryan Rickelton will play a critical role as the number three batter in the lineup.

In the middle-order, the explosive Tristan Stubbs and the experienced skipper Temba Bavuma provide contrasting yet complementary styles. Bavuma’s calm leadership is crucial in anchoring the innings while Stubbs delivers the firepower to counter-attack any bowling group.

David Bedingham has been a longtime prolific domestic performer. He will look forward to returning to Newlands. The middle-order batter has 540 runs in the last ten Tests.

Wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne will be looking to improve his recent performances with the bat, but he adds sharp glovework behind the stumps. All-rounder Marco Jansen offers left-arm pace and crucial lower-order runs. This was especially true in a tense finish at Centurion.

Corbin Bosch provides additional bowling variety to the pace attack. He took a four-fer and scored 81 runs not out on debut.

The bowling attack is spearheaded by the world-class Kagiso Rabada. He showed his underrated ability with the bat in the previous Test too. Rabada has 34 Test wickets in his last eight matches.

The dependable Dane Paterson adds the extra dynamic of swing and seam bowling to the lineup. Both Paterson and Jansen claimed five-wicket hauls in the previous game.

South Africa Expected Playing 11

Pakistan

Captain Shan Masood will need to show consistency at the top of the batting order. The flamboyant stroke play of Saim Ayub gives this Pakistan batting order the edge. Babar Azam has been the team's backbone before up and down returns in Test cricket in the past couple of years. He is, however, still a world-class presence. He returned to form with a 50 in his previous innings.

Kamran Ghulam and Saud Shakeel have solid techniques which will be crucial to take on a South African bowling lineup which took 20 wickets at SuperSport Park. Both hit half-centuries in the first Test.

Mohammad Rizwan is a game-changer with his versatility behind the stumps and as a clever batter. Salman Agha’s all-round skills will be the perfect tool for Masood to have in his armoury. The all-rounder has 674 runs in his last ten Test matches.

In the bowling department, the fiery pace of Naseem Shah and Khurram Shahzad ensures the team has a potent attack. Mohammad Abbas’ consistency with line and length plus threatening seam movement will be vital in exploiting helpful conditions.

The right-arm seamer took an astounding six for 54 in Centurion to give Pakistan a glimpse of hope of winning the first Test. Aamer Jamal’s all-round abilities complete a side capable of challenging the hosts. Jamal has 21 wickets in his last six Tests.

Pakistan Expected Playing 11

SA vs PAK Toss Prediction

The toss in the previous match was largely down to weather conditions. South Africa won the toss and chose to bowl first. With weather conditions looking ideal for day one, both captains may prefer to bat first.

Pitch and Conditions

The teams’ pace bowling units may enjoy conditions in Cape Town. There will be pace and bounce on offer, especially on the opening couple of days. As the game moves on, the pitch may start to slow down. The spinners and slower bowlers could start to become effective towards the back end of this Test.

Batters should be presented with a balanced surface for run-scoring, but may have to play more cautiously at Newlands than grounds further up country. Pakistan managed 177 all out in the first innings of their previous Test at Newlands.

There is no chance of rain for the full five days. You can expect this match have beautiful cricket weather for its entirety. Temperatures are likely to be warm and quite humid too.

SA vs PAK Betting Tips

After featuring in one of the all-time classic Test matches, South Africa and Pakistan will lock horns to do it again. South Africa will be buoyed by their qualification to the ICC World Test Championship Final and will be looking to continue their momentum. Pakistan will be looking for revenge after missing out on crucial moments in the previous game. Both teams’ fast bowlers could put in another fantastic display at Newlands.

We think South Africa's familiarity with the conditions and their better batting lineup could end up being the difference.

Bet on South Africa to win this match.