SuperSport Park, Centurion: Pitch report and weather conditions
South Africa will kick off their ICC Cricket World Cup Super League campaign with a series against Pakistan, where Centurion will host the first and third matches.
The SuperSport Park has been a happy hunting ground for the Proteas, especially in ODI cricket. South Africa have played 39 ODI matches in Centurion, recording 26 victories.
The pitch at SuperSport Park assists the batters and the faster bowlers. Dale Steyn picked up 24 wickets in the 13 ODIs he played here, while Wayne Parnell scalped 23 ODI wickets in nine outings.
South African wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock has a magnificent batting record in Centurion. The southpaw has scored 689 runs in nine ODIs on this ground and holds the record for the most runs at SuperSport Park among current players.
The average first innings score in the 52 ODIs played at this venue is 246, while teams batting second have won 30 out of 52 games.
It would thus not be a surprise if the captain winning the toss in the two ODIs at SuperSport Park invites the opposition team to bat first.
South Africa and Pakistan clashed at this stadium two years ago, where the home team prevailed via D/L Method. Imam-ul-Haq's century guided Pakistan to a 317-run total in the first innings. The Proteas got off to an excellent start and scored 187/2 in 33 overs before rain stopped the play. South Africa were 13 runs ahead of the D/L par score when the game ended.
The fans should note that this is the first limited-overs international match in Centurion after the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, the pitch could behave in a slightly different manner.
SuperSport Park, Centurion: Weather conditions
The weather in Centurion will be perfect for an ODI match. The sky will be sunny when the game begins, with clouds expected to slowly appear in the evening. The temperature is likely to stay around 24 degrees Celsius on Friday (April 2) while it should be 2 degrees Celsius less for the match on Wednesday (April 7).
There are no predictions for rain in Centurion on the first matchday. However, the rain gods could interrupt the proceedings during the final ODI of this series.