Pakistan vs South Africa 3rd T20I 2025: Match Preview and Squad Analysis

Pakistan will face South Africa in the 3rd T20I at Lahore on November 1. After thumping the visitors in the last match by 9 wickets, the green shirts are confident that they will win the next game as well. As per the current scenario, both teams have won one game each, which means the T20I series is evenly balanced. The last game has therefore become highly important, as it will decide who eventually takes the series title.

By performing strongly in the 2nd T20I, Pakistan has regained the momentum they were looking for. They looked out of form in the first game, in which South Africa were quite dominant from the start of the play. Having lost the first match, Pakistan came to Lahore under immense pressure. They needed to perform strongly in the 2nd T20I, as losing that was not an option for them.

From South Africa’s point of view, it was an opportunity they failed to capitalize on. They will now work hard to win the last match at Lahore, as it has become a virtual series decider. In this article, we will take a look at the squads of both teams to analyze what type of combination we can expect in the 3rd T20I. This will give us a clear view how both sides can make a few changes to their final Playing XI to win the last contest.

Pakistan Squad Analysis for 3rd T20I at Lahore

Pakistan will look to continue its winning form in the last game of the T20I series. They can go with the same squad that played yesterday, however, a few changes in the bowling department are expected. Shaheen Shah Afridi can come back in the final match, whereas Abrar Ahmed can be benched to make room for Usman Tariq.

In the batting department, there are not many changes expected. The lineup is currently well settled after the return of Babar Azam. He has been given the responsibility to anchor the innings while playing at number 3. So, the top order will remain the same, as Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan also played brilliantly in the last game. Some reshuffling can be expected in the middle order, though it will be done as per the live situation of the match.

South Africa Squad Analysis for 3rd T20I at Lahore

South Africa will revisit some of its batting plans before the start of the next game. They played quite poorly in the 2nd T20I, as Pakistan bowlers ripped apart their opening and middle order batting quite aggressively. This is one of the areas where South Africa needs to work on, as they cannot afford another collapse in the series decider.

From the bowling perspective, the pace attack of South Africa needs a big step up. They will need to fire in the next game, as picking up early wickets can put pressure on the Pakistan team. We expect Lizaad Williams to feature again in the 3rd T20I, but that call would be taken after analyzing the nature of the surface.

Probable Playing XI for Pakistan in the 3rd T20I

Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Salman Agha (c), Usman Khan (wk), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Usman Tariq

Probable Playing XI for South Africa in the 3rd T20I

Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock, Tony de Zorzi, Dewald Brevis, Matthew Breetzke, Donovan Ferreira (c), George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Nandre Burger, Lizaad Williams, Lungi Ngidi

Final Words

The final match of the T20I series between Pakistan and South Africa would be highly competitive. It will test the quality of both teams, giving every player an opportunity to showcase his class and temperament under tough situations. Pakistan will enter the contest with a slight edge, however, South Africa can quickly turn things around by showcasing their all-round strength in the batting as well as bowling department.