Islamabad, Dec 15: Reeza Hendricks’ debut T20I century propelled South Africa to their first T20I bilateral series victory since August 2022, as the Proteas secured a 7-wicket win over Pakistan in the second match at SuperSport Park.
South Africa was under pressure after Pakistan set a challenging target of 206/5. With David Miller absent, the team looked to find a player to step up and fill the void, and Hendricks delivered. His powerful batting performance led to Rob Walter’s first T20I series win since taking over as the white-ball coach in March 2023.
After being asked to field first, the South African team, with a relatively inexperienced lineup, conceded one of the highest first-innings totals at SuperSport Park but managed to chase it down with three balls remaining.
A pivotal 157-run partnership between Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen guided South Africa to victory. Hendricks, who hit several sixes, and Van der Dussen, who scored his seventh T20I half-century, made Pakistan’s bowling attack look ineffective.
Despite losing Ryan Rickelton (2) and Matthew Breetzke (12) early in the chase, Hendricks took charge, accelerating the scoring without hesitation. As Pakistan’s bowlers relied heavily on slower deliveries, they struggled, and Hendricks eventually fell to Irfan Khan. Van der Dussen then finished the match with a six, sealing the series win in style.
Earlier, Pakistan faced an early setback with Mohammad Rizwan’s dismissal, which pushed Babar Azam and Saim Ayub to attack the South African bowlers. They put on 101/1 in 11 overs, but South Africa fought back through debutant Dayyaan Galiem and spinner George Linde. Their combined efforts reduced Pakistan to 136/4 in the 16th over. However, Ayub and Irfan Khan put together a 73-run partnership from 32 balls, boosting Pakistan’s total to 206/5.
