Karachi: South Africa’s head coach Mark Boucher thinks that Proteas have a huge task ahead against home team Pakistan as they are ‘dangerous’ in their own condition.
Former wicketkeeper opined that the pitches are suited for batters in Pakistan and their confidence is high after a great series against Sri Lanka back home.
“Pakistan is a dangerous side at home; we will have to come up with a proper strategy to beat them at their own backyard,” Boucher told pcb.com.pk
“The wickets here in Pakistan are batting friendly, and we are relying on our batsmen to score runs. Their confidence will be high after scoring runs against Sri Lanka,” he added.
Boucher thinks that South Africa’s pacer will have to express hard to get wickets compared to Pakistan’s pacers.
Read: Boucher confident of team safety on Pakistan tour
“Our fast bowlers will have to work very hard to get wickets. Pakistan bowlers will have home advantage, so this series will be a test for our batsmen, but once they are successful in occupying the crease, they will be able to score freely,” he maintained.
“We are excited to play in Pakistan again, and expect a great series ahead with all focus on the game,” he concluded.
On the other hand, Pakistan head Misbah ul Haq feels that they have a perfect opportunity to beat them due to home advantage.
“South Africa have never been an easy side to beat, but them playing after 13 years in Pakistan will be an advantage for us, and we have a great chance to improve our record against them,” Misbah said.
“Playing at home ground is always encouraging for the players, and it reflected in our performances in the series against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh last year,” he added.
Note, South Africa arrived in Karachi yesterday morning via a chartered plane. The squad underwent COVID-19 testing upon arrival and returned negative.
The Proteas took part in the first training session at Karachi Gymkhana today. The first Test between Pakistan and South Africa to start on January 26 at National Stadium.
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