Breetzke backs Proteas to ‘keep Pakistan quiet’ as ODI cricket returns to Faisalabad

Proteas Men’s stand-in ODI captain Matthew Breetzke says his team hopes to make a strong start when they take on Pakistan in the series opener at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad on Tuesday.

IOL Sport’s Zaahier Adams reports that the three-match ODI series marks the return of international cricket to Faisalabad after 17 years. The central city in Pakistan’s Punjab province last hosted an international fixture in 2008, when Pakistan faced Bangladesh in an ODI.

‘A special occasion’ for Faisalabad fans

Pakistan’s newly appointed ODI captain, Shaheen Shah Afridi, praised the decision to bring top-level cricket back to the city.

“It's a special occasion that Faisalabad is hosting an international match after 17 years,” Shaheen said on Monday. “It will be good for the fans of the city.”

Large crowds are expected to fill the stands for the home team, and Breetzke believes that energy will bring the best out of the Proteas.

“We love playing in front of big crowds and it's very entertaining and stuff like that. It’s awesome,” he said. “Obviously, they're going to be against us, which is in my opinion quite nice to have them up against us, so we hopefully can keep them quiet for as long as possible.”

Focus on the top order

To do that, South Africa’s batters will need to find stability at the top of the order after struggling in the recently completed T20I series. Pakistan came from behind in that series to win 2-1 with back-to-back victories in Lahore.

Quinton de Kock’s return to the T20I side didn’t produce the desired results — the experienced opener scored 23 in the first game before back-to-back failures.

The ODI squad remains largely the same as the T20I unit, with only Breetzke’s Warriors teammate Sinethemba Qeshile added for the 50-over format.

“I'm not too sure about the batting line-up yet, that will be announced tomorrow (Tuesday),” Breetzke said.

He acknowledged the team’s recent batting challenges but believes the longer format provides an opportunity to reset. “Obviously it wasn't that easy, wasn't that successful for the opening pair, but it's a different format. They’ve got a little bit more time now, so I'm sure they'll come good.”

Babar Azam back in form

Pakistan, meanwhile, will enter the series buoyed by the return to form of Babar Azam, who scored a match-winning 68 in the third T20I — his first half-century in 14 innings. He is also just one century away from equalling Saeed Anwar’s Pakistan record of 20 ODI hundreds.

“Babar is an unbelievable player, he's come into form, so there will be a lot of pressure on him to keep delivering,” Breetzke said. “We've come up with plans to hopefully stop him from scoring runs, but he's an unbelievable player and hopefully we can stop him in this series.”

ODI squads for Faisalabad 

Pakistan: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Faisal Akram, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha

Proteas: Matthew Breetzke (captain), Quinton de Kock, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, Tony de Zorzi, Donovan Ferreira, Bjorn Fortuin, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, Lungi Ngidi, Nqaba Peter, Sinethemba Qeshile.

Start: 1pm (SA time), TV: SuperSport