RAWALPINDI: South Africa defeated Pakistan by 55 runs in the opening match of the three-match T20 series, taking a 1-0 lead. Chasing a target of 195 runs, Pakistan’s batting lineup crumbled for just 139 runs in 18.1 overs.
Earlier, after winning the toss, Pakistan elected to field first at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. For the first T20, Pakistan’s playing XI included Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, captain Salman Ali Agha, Hasan Nawaz, Usman Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Abrar Ahmed.
South Africa’s Innings:
Batting first, South Africa posted 194 runs for the loss of nine wickets in their 20 overs. Reeza Hendricks led the scoring with 60 runs, while George Linde added 36 and Dwaine du Preez contributed 33 runs.
For Pakistan, Mohammad Nawaz took three wickets, Saim Ayub claimed two, while Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, and Naseem Shah picked up one wicket each.
Pakistan’s Innings:
In reply, Pakistan were bowled out for 139 on the first ball of the 19th over. Saim Ayub scored 37 runs, Mohammad Nawaz made 36, and Sahibzada Farhan added 24 runs.
Other batters failed to make an impact, with Babar Azam dismissed for a duck, captain Salman Ali Agha scoring 2, Usman Khan 12, Hasan Nawaz 3, Faheem Ashraf 1, and Shaheen Afridi 4 runs.
For South Africa, Corbin Bosch took four wickets, George Linde grabbed three, and Lizaad Williams dismissed two players. It is worth mentioning that the Pakistan team wore a special pink jersey in the first T20 International to support breast cancer awareness, while the South African players and match officials participated by wearing pink ribbons.
