Temba Bavuma Babar Azam Netherlands Australia South Africa India Afghanistan Bangladesh Pakistan cricket Proteas Temba Bavuma Babar Azam Netherlands Australia South Africa India Afghanistan Bangladesh Pakistan

'I had to Google the word!': Bavuma wary of 'mercurial' Pakistan threat

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South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma admitted on Thursday that he was so stunned by seeing Pakistan described as "mercurial" that he had to "Google the word" out of respect for his opponents ahead of their World Cup clash. READ | 5 talking points | SA v Bangladesh: Proteas masters of batting first Pakistan, the 1992 champions, have hit a roadblock at the World Cup with their opening two wins followed by three one-sided defeats to arch-rivals India, Australia and then to neighbours Afghanistan.South Africa, on the other hand, have shaken off a shock loss to the Netherlands and have four wins to put them in sight of the semi-finals.Bavuma, however, is wary of the challenge posed by Pakistan, who can be frustratingly mediocre one day but devastatingly brilliant the next."I saw a comment that described Pakistan as mercurial," said Bavuma on the eve of the game on Thursday. "I had to Google the word, but it spoke about how a team can be good one day and not so good the next. "So, we want to make sure that when they're good, we are so good as well."Pakistan have won six of the last 10 meetings with South Africa, including by 49 runs when they met at Lord's in the 2019 World Cup.Current Pakistan skipper Babar Azam made 69 that day in a total of 308 before they limited the Proteas to 259 in their 50 overs.Six of the South African team who played in that match are likely to start on Friday. "We went through the Pakistan team, the threats that they bring, their strengths and obviously their weaknesses," said Bavuma, who has recovered from a gastric problem that forced him to miss the last two matches."We know that they haven't played close to their best, but tomorrow could be that.

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South Africa will be up against Australia in the second semi-final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on November 16 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India. The match is scheduled to begin at 2:00 PM IST. South Africa head into the semi-finals on a strong note, concluding their league campaign with a five-wicket victory over giant killers Afghanistan. The Proteas finished second with 14 points from nine matches. They only lost against the Netherlands and hosts India. Opening batsman Quinton de Kock is currently in excellent form while Aiden Markram has proven to be one of the top run-scorers for the Proteas in the tournament. The contributions of Heinrich Klaasen and the all-rounder Marco Jansen have added significant impetus to the side led by Temba Bavuma. The bowling department is led by Kagiso Rabada, who has claimed 12 wickets so far. Gerald Coetzee stands among the top three wicket-takers in the tournament, enhancing the team's bowling capabilities.
Pakistan will be needing a miracle to make it to the semi-finals of Cricket World Cup 2023 when they face a charged-up England at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Saturday. New Zealand's net run-rate boosting five wicket-win over Sri Lanka on Thursday has virtually shattered Pakistan's semifinal hopes. The 1992 champions now have to beat England by an improbable margin to make it to the knockout round. New Zealand's NRR is +0.743 while Pakistan's is +0.036, and for the Babar Azam-led side to eclipse the former to qualify as the fourth side, it has to win by around 287 runs batting first. While chasing, Pakistan need to win with 284 balls to spare. That is an impractical task.
Proteas captain Temba Bavuma sustained a right hamstring strain during Friday's Cricket World Cup match against Afghanistan in Ahmedabad.
Pakistan will be needing a miracle to make it to the semi-finals of Cricket World Cup 2023 when they face a charged-up England at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Saturday. New Zealand's net run-rate boosting five wicket-win over Sri Lanka on Thursday has virtually shattered Pakistan's semifinal hopes. The 1992 champions now have to beat England by an improbable margin to make it to the knockout round. New Zealand's NRR is +0.743 while Pakistan's is +0.036, and for the Babar Azam-led side to eclipse the former to qualify as the fourth side, it has to win by around 287 runs batting first. While chasing, Pakistan need to win with 284 balls to spare. That is an impractical task.
All-rounder Shadab Khan looked set for a comeback after recovering from a concussion, while skipper Babar Azam was focused on finally making a mark in the tournament as Pakistan on Wednesday had a full-fledged net session ahead of their must-win World Cup match against England in Kolkata. Following two days' of unwinding in Kolkata, the Pakistani players had a three-hour long practice session in the afternoon focusing on all the three departments of the game. Shadab started rolling his arm for the first time after their match against South Africa in which he was ruled out due to concussion.
South Africa take on India in their Cricket World Cup match on Sunday, November 5. The much-anticipated match-up will be staged at the renowned Eden Gardens in Kolkata and will commence at 2:00 PM IST. South Africa have won six out of their seven matches so far and are one win away from cementing a semi-final berth. Their only defeat came against the Netherlands where they lost by 38 runs. Talking about the Proteas' last match, they overcame New Zealand by a huge margin of 190 runs.

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