South Africa had a 2-0 win in the two Twenty20 matches against Pakistan in the UAE. With Rusty Theron playing his part, Cricket South Africa did not waste time in including him in the ODI squad as they look to complete ten wins on the trot.
pakistan against sa
Waqar Younis' blasting of the Pakistan batsmen failed to yield the desired result as Pakistan found themselves in all sorts of trouble at five down for thirty-five after Lonwabo Tsotsobe made his presence felt once more with two wickets upfront while Theron cleaned up Pakistan with four wickets for just twenty-seven runs.
It was the efforts of Misbah ul Haq who scored thirty-three runs and Abdul Razzak that Pakistan even reached 120 which was then chased down rather identically by South Africa with six wickets still in hand as Graeme Smith led the way with thirty-eight runs while Colin Ingram made a seventeen ball thirty-one to seal the match.
Taking cognizance of the fact that Theron has been outstanding with the ball and the fact that South Africa are coming back from injury niggles to several cricketers,the Cricket South Africa (CSA) selection convener Andrew Hudson, made a quick announcement following the match,
His selection is actually a combination of several things. With the injuries suffered by Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn and Jacques Kallis we feel it is prudent to have adequate cover in the fast bowling department.Rusty’s form also deserves to be rewarded. He has performed exceptionally well against Zimbabwe and during the two Pro20s against Pakistan and he will bolster the squad ahead of the congested five ODIs against Pakistan.
Cricket South Africa also praised their team's efforts ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 and are expecting a lot from their young guns. Gerald Majola, CSA CEO, touched upon it ahead of the ODI series,
It is most encouraging that these victories are coming with outstanding contributions of young players such as Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Colin Ingram, Rusty Theron and David Miller.They are being backed by established players such as AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla, currently the number one and two respectively in the ICC ODI batting ratings.
All this bodes well for the Proteas’ preparation for the 2010/11 season which includes the ICC World Cup early next year in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
South Africa will look to make most of the opportunity in the ODIs as they have built a bit of a winning streak with nine ODIs wins on the trot after their debacles in South Africa following the ICC Champions Trophy. With the World around the corner, South Africa would not only like to build on the winning momentum but also, give all the boys an experience for heat in the middle. The question is: can Pakistan rise to the occasion?
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