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10-Jan-2019 09:12:00 GMT
SA v Pak - 3rd Test, Johannesburg

Hamza set to debut as South Africa eye series sweep

Johannesburg: South Africa are set to hand a debut to batsman Zubayr Hamza in the third and final Test against Pakistan starting at The Wanderers, Johannesburg on Friday as they seek a clean sweep of the series against a battered Pakistan.

Hamza, 23, will be a replacement for captain Faf du Plessis, who is serving a one match suspension for a slow over-rate in the nine-wicket victory in the second Test in Cape Town.

Uncapped opening batsman Pieter Malan, 29, has also been brought into the squad as injury cover for Aiden Markram, who is nursing a thigh problem and will face a late fitness test.

The loss of their regular captain, a centurion at Newlands, is a huge blow for the home side, particularly with Markram's potential nonappearance, and individual center request batsman Theunis de Bruyn out of shape and averaging only 19.33 after eight Tests. It could see a rearrange of the batting request with Temba Bavuma moving to number four, De Bruyn to five and Hamza having his spot at six. Opening batsman Dean Elgar will skipper the side without Du Plessis.

Pakistan hinted at an enhanced batting execution in the second Test however are probably going to confront another enthusiastic wicket at the Wanderers that will be appropriate to South Africa's blast of seamers.

Mentor Mickey Arthur has proposed there will be changes to the side for the arrangement finale, which is trailed by five One-Day Internationals and three Twenty20 matches.

One of these could see the arrival of 20-year-old all-rounder Shadab Khan, in all likelihood for insufficient individual leg-spinner Yasir Shah, who took only a solitary wicket in the opening two Tests.

Teams from

South Africa: Dean Elgar (captain), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Theunis de Bruyn, Quinton de Kock, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj, Pieter Malan, Aiden Markram, Duanne Olivier, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn

Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali, Haris Sohail, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Yasir Shah, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Amir, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi

Pitch and condtion
The weather at Johannesburg should be pleasant for most part although there are a few thunderstorms on the radar. As for the pitch, it's expected to be a sporting wicket with support for seamers while also affording batsmen opportunities to dig in and score runs.

Stats and trivia
Dale Steyn needed four wickets to overcome India' all-rouder Kapil Dev

Match facts
Jan. 11-15, 2019
Start time: 1000 local (0800 GMT)


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