Islamabad, Dec 11: South Africa limited Pakistan to 172 in their pursuit of 184 runs, securing an 11-run victory in the opening T20I of the three-match series at Kingsmead Stadium on Tuesday.
George Linde’s all-round brilliance—scoring a rapid 48 and claiming four wickets—propelled South Africa to the win. Pakistan, chasing a challenging target, managed 172/8 in their 20 overs despite skipper Mohammad Rizwan’s valiant half-century.
The chase began poorly for Pakistan as their star batter Babar Azam was dismissed for a four-ball duck in the third over, with the score at 16/1.
Saim Ayub then stitched a quick 40-run stand with Rizwan before falling to Andile Simelane in the seventh over. Ayub contributed a brisk 31 off 15 balls, hitting seven boundaries.
Rizwan batted cautiously until the 16th over before accelerating, smashing two sixes off Kwena Maphaka in the 17th over. However, he was dismissed on the second ball of the final over, mistiming a short delivery from Maphaka to third man, where Nqabayomzi Peter completed the catch.
Rizwan top-scored for Pakistan with a 74-run knock off 62 balls, including five fours and three sixes. Maphaka held his nerve in the final over, conceding just six runs in the last four balls to seal the win.
For South Africa, Linde was the standout bowler with four wickets, while Maphaka took two. Ottneil Baartman and Simelane chipped in with one wicket each.
Earlier, David Miller’s blistering 82 helped South Africa post an imposing total of 184/8. Pakistan’s bowlers initially dominated, with Abrar Ahmed and Shaheen Afridi dismantling the top order in the first four overs. Reeza Hendricks scored eight, Rassie van der Dussen went for a duck, and Matthew Breetzke managed eight before falling to Abrar in his second over.
Miller then took charge, smashing 82 off just 40 balls, while skipper Heinrich Klaasen contributed 12. After their departures, Linde’s 48 from the middle order helped South Africa reach a competitive total. Abrar Ahmed and Shaheen Afridi claimed three wickets each, while Abbas Afridi took two.
Earlier in the match, South Africa won the toss and elected to bat.
The Pakistan team had prepared extensively for the series, holding training sessions at Kingsmead Stadium. Captain Mohammad Rizwan expressed confidence in his squad, highlighting their talent despite the challenges of overseas tours.
Notably, all-rounder Salman Ali Agha was excluded from Pakistan’s playing XI following a lackluster performance in the previous series against Zimbabwe, where he scored 45 runs in two innings and took two wickets. The lineup saw the return of Pakistan’s established opening duo, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, with Saim Ayub moved to the number three spot and wicketkeeper Usman Khan batting at four.
Pakistan’s Playing XI: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, Tayyab Tahir, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Abbas Afridi, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed.
