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ODI series preview: Pakistan v SA

Well that was rather one-sided, wasn't it? It's always difficult to gauge just how good or bad teams are based on their Twenty20 performances, but you have to say that Pakistan looked rather poor in Abu Dhabi while the South Africans were formidable in the two games.

If Pakistan, especially their batsmen, fail to pull the finger out then we could be in for a lopsided one-day series as well. To be honest, it's difficult to see how they can change things around in the ODIs as they have the same squad as the one that did duty during the T20s. Younis Khan is likely to return to the middle order as his feud with his cricket board is now something of the past, but you can't put all your hopes on a man who has been out of international action for so long.

Unfortunately the rest rarely come to the party. Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat and Fawad Alam rarely hold down one end, Shahzaib Hasan and Asad Shafiq are still inexperienced at international level, Misbah-ul-Haq's big scores come every blue moon, Umar Akmal has failed to kick on after his impressive start and the less said about Shahid Afridi's batting the better.

So where exactly will the runs come from when they come up against an impressive Proteas bowling attack that will be bolstered by the fit-again Dale Steyn and Jacques Kallis? Although it's tiresome hammering away at the same point, Pakistan's batsmen will decide the outcome of the series. Make no mistake, there is nothing wrong with their bowling line-up and they did a good job in the T20s. But you can't expect them to pull off a victory when the batsmen have only posted a handful of runs.

Besides problems in the batting department, Afridi's captaincy leaves a lot to be desired. It looks like his struggles with the bat are getting the better of him. Don't be surprised he if chucks in the towel before the end of the series as it looks like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Enough of Pakistan's struggles. Their opposition South Africans have some selection headaches ahead of the series, albeit good ones. Kallis and Steyn missed the Twenty20s as well as the series against Zimbabwe due to injury, but both have recovered and will no doubt return to the starting XI.

Who do you leave out though? The youngsters in the South African team have really stepped up in the two veterans' absence. Colin Ingram, David Miller and Lonwabo Tsotsobe were outstanding in the T20s against Pakistan, JP Duminy made a welcome return to form and Rusty Theron forced his way into the squad with match-winning displays. In fact, just about everyone bar Loots Bosman contributed. The disappointing opener will make way for Hashim Amla. Ingram's fine knocks mean David Miller is likely to be the unlucky one to miss out when Kallis returns eventually while Steyn could replace Albie Morkel.

South Africa will also have the added luxury of being able to rotate players throughout the series without actually weakening the team. With so many quality players on the sidelines, those in the starting XI know they can't muck up and will no doubt be keen to impress with the World Cup not far away.

Key Players
Pakistan: You can pick out any one of Imran Farhat, Mohammad Hafeez, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal. One or two of them need to make a few decent scores to give their side a chance of winning a game or two.

South Africa: Rookie Colin Ingram has made an impressive start to his international career. "He knows when to build an innings and when caution is required, however, he also has the talent to put it out of the ground when you need him to bring down the run rate." This little gem courtesy of Michelle Foster, editor of our sister site PlanetF1. You can't add much more to that.

PredictionPakistan were really poor in the two Twenty20s and it's difficult to see them turning their fortunes around in the ODIs where more will be asked of their batsmen. South Africa will win the series, but hopefully Pakistan will sneak one or two wins.

Squads
Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (captain), Imran Farhat, Mohammad Hafeez, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman, Shoaib Akhtar, Tanveer Ahmed, Zulqarnain Haider, Shahzaib Hasan, Wahab Riaz.

South Africa: Graeme Smith (captain), Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, AB de Villiers (wk), JP Duminy, Colin Ingram, Jacques Kallis, Charl Langeveldt, David Miller, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Rusty Theron, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Fixtures
First ODI: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, on October 29
Second ODI: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, on October 31
Third ODI: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, on November 2
Fourth ODI: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, on November 5
Fifth ODI: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, on November 8