Bavuma or Babar – who will be smiling at the end of the game?

Johannesburg — South Africa take on Pakistan in a crucial T20 World Cup Group 2 match on Thursday which could go a long way in deciding the fate of the two teams.

Ahead of Thursday’s clash in Sydney, Cricket writer Stuart Hess looks at five key battles which may determine the result.

Oh Captains, our captains

Babar Azam and Temba Bavuma have combined for 22 runs across six innings in the tournament and infuriated ex-players and social media in their respective countries in the process.

It’s obviously hurting Pakistan more that their captain can’t find luck or form, given just how important his runs have been to them in both limited overs formats.

In terms of leadership, they’re vital to their respective sides, but it would prove useful to them personally if they could score some runs at the SCG

Lefty skirmish

Shaheen Shah Afridi was supposed to have a big tournament, but his impact has been limited so far. He’s taken only one wicket and perhaps the pre-tournament knee injury has had a bigger effect than he’s been willing to admit.

Nevertheless he may have taken some confidence from seeing how much trouble the Indian left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh caused Quinton De Kock and Rilee Rossouw on Sunday. Rossouw has encountered Shaheen in the Pakistan Super League, so there’ll be no secrets between them.

Middle period measures

With Shaheen not at his best, Pakistan have needed Haris Rauf’s energy through the middle overs. He’s picked up four wickets and looms as a threat on Thursday.

Aiden Markram is one of the Proteas’ most important T20 players, and on Sunday rode his luck to a crucial half-century. Markram can switch between anchor and power hitter so Pakistan will know that dismissing him early will be vital to their chances of winning and Rauf will be the key to that.

Fearless Fakhar

The 32-year-old left-hander enjoys playing against South Africa, especially in the limited overs formats. In six T20 matches against the Proteas he averages 26 and has a strike-rate of 154.76.

His memorable 193 at the Wanderers in an ODI last year will undoubtedly still be in the memory banks and extra time will be spent strategising on how to control him. With Babar struggling, Fakhar will be a big role player on Thursday.

Fielding

Pakistan do sway from sublime to ridiculous in this department – they are capable of truly inspiring moments, and then can fall apart if distracted or the game is going against them. South Africa has been extremely good and those standards need to be maintained.

With the number of catches being missed and fumbles in the outfield in the competition, it is becoming increasingly clear how important fielding is in determining the outcome of matches.

@shockerhess