South Africa's middle-order batter David Miller has threatened to exploit the Pakistani opening pair's vulnerability when the two teams lock horns on Thursday, November 3. However, Miller expects the Asian giants to bring out their A-game at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
Pakistan are on the brink of being eliminated after losing two of their three games. Their only victory came against the Netherlands and Babar Azam and Co. only have a slim chance of reaching the semi-finals.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the game in Sydney, Miller said he doesn't expect Pakistan to be pushovers despite Babar and Mohammad Rizwan's struggles.
He was quoted as saying by SA Cric Mag:
"I think it is an area to exploit. This game is all about confidence and they haven’t probably performed the way they’ve wanted to. But they’re world-class players and we’re expecting them to come out and bring their A game and be up for the challenge."
Babar and Rizwan, Pakistan's most in-form batters in the last edition, have struggled to find their feet. Babar has managed only eight runs in three games, including a golden duck. Rizwan, meanwhile, found some form against the Netherlands, scoring 49 off 39 balls.
"I suppose we are finding lots of ways to win" - David Miller
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Miller also praised South Africa's resilience and attributed it to the squad's continuity, adding:
"I suppose we are finding lots of ways to win. We’ve done it over a period of time now. I’d say probably the last year, we’ve found ourselves in tricky situations and managed to get over the line. I think the continuity of the squad over time, guys have managed to sort of find their roles and if one guy isn’t doing well, another guy picks up the slack."
A win over Pakistan would ensure a semi-final berth for the Proteas, who have already beaten India and Bangladesh.
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