After giving away the home series to the South Africans in an embarrassing
loss the Pakistan team is looking for revenge on South African soil. The
Pakistan team will be trying to compensate for that loss and the loss in the
last South African tour, under the leadership of
Rashid Latif, who will be
playing his first test series as captain. Though Pakistan may be missing the
services of
Wasim Akram, it has instilled in its side some fresh blood in
the likes of
Yousuf Youhana
and
Shoaib Akhtar who will face a tough
challenge in the face of the South African adversity. However, Pakistan will
be banking on its experienced players like
Inzamam, who has been playing
with utmost consistency and ranks No.1 in the C&L ratings, and
Saeed Anwar,
who is always a danger to the opposition once he starts stroking the ball
with his immaculate timing.
The South African side will also be playing this test with a new captain in
Gary Kirsten,
who has replaced the injured Hansie Cronje. The South
Africans, too, have not had the best of times since that emphatic win in
Pakistan, losing both the World Series in Australia and also losing the Test
Series. They have also been suffering in their fielding, which has not been
even close to their regular standards. However the side, playing along with
recalled opener, Andrew Hudson, will have the advantage of playing on home
ground. They will be looking to Allan Donald to play an important part in
the test, along with his Pakistani counterpart Waqar Younis. The South
Africans will also rely heavily on Gary Kirsten, who has been very
dependable and a prolific run scorer all through out his career. Supporting
him will be Adam Bacher, who has effectively proven his worth in the side
and is an exciting batsman to watch.