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South Africa has been in excellent form, finishing at the top of their group. They have a solid batting lineup with the explosive top order of Ryan Rickelton and Temba Bavuma while Rassie van der Dussen and Heinrich Klaasen have been in great touch in the middle order. Aiden Markram reportedly is injured and will be tested before the match.
David Miller is a proven finisher and has no doubts on ability to take the game away from the opponent. Marco Jansen and Wiaan Mulder add depth to both batting and bowling. In the bowling department, Kagiso Rabada will lead the pace attack while Keshav Maharaj will be the sole spinner in the team. After a dominant win over England in their last match, South Africa will look to continue the winning streak.
After losing a match in hand against India, New Zealand will be eager to give a solid display of their talent in this most awaited match against South Africa. Will Young and Rachin Ravindra will open the account for New Zealand at the top while Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, and Tom Latham will play a key role in the middle overs.
Glenn Phillips and Michael Bracewell add firepower to the lower order. They have a lethal bowling attack even better than South Africa with Matt Henry in top form after his five-wicket haul, supported by Kyle Jamieson and William O’Rourke. Spin will be crucial, with Mitchell Santner and Rachin Ravindra expected to control the game in the middle overs
The weather in Lahore for the semi-final between South Africa and New Zealand will be clear and sunny, with temperatures ranging between 18-22°C. The humidity will be around 35-45%, and there is no chance of rain. This is a good sign for the cricket fans to witness a full match.
Gaddafi Stadium has hosted 70 ODI matches so far. Teams batting first have won 36 times, while teams chasing have won 33 times. The average first-innings score here is 257 but this pitch has produced high scoring matches in this tournament and the same is expected in this match. The pitch usually offers good batting conditions, but as the match progresses, spinners might get some help.
Rachin Ravindra faced Marco Jansen in Cricket world cup 2023 where Jansen got his man in just 12 balls giving away just seven runs. This will be an exciting battle to watch in the initial phase of the inning.
David Miller has always struggled against spin bowling in the past. Miller likes the ball to come on the bats nicely so pace variations do trouble him. Miller has been kept low by his rival and New Zealand’s skipper Mitchell Santner in three matches they played against each other in 2017, 2019, and 2023. Santner has dismissed Miller twice in his career.
William O’Rourke will be bowling in the powerplay to the top order batter Temba Bavuma. Bavuma was dismissed by William O’Rourke in the recent Tri Series in Pakistan. William uses his pace and bounce to trouble Bavuma with his pacy bouncers. However Bavuma has scored runs with a good strike rate against him.
Rachin Ravindra has been in great form in ODIs since the 2023 Cricket World Cup in India. Ravindra scored his maiden hundred in an ICC tournament in 2023 and followed that up by scoring a debut hundred in the Champions Trophy in his first match against Bangladesh. He is no doubt a top class batter and will be a perfect choice to bet on in this match between SA and NZ.
As per the last match performance against England, Marco Jansen was playing on a different surface in that match. Jansen bowled seven overs and took three vital wickets to set the tone of the match in the powerplay itself. Jansen removed the dangerous looking top order of England including Phil Salt, Ben Duckett, and Jamie Smith. He is the best pick in the bowling department.
As per the current form of the teams in the tournament, no doubt both teams deserved to be in the semifinals. New Zealand were exceptional playing in pakistan but lost their last match to India but took that match very close. South Africa didn’t get the chance to compete against a team like Australia and India so, they will be planning to make it to the finals. Keeping the stats and current form in mind, New Zealand will win this match.
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