Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam had a nightmare return to T20 cricket, falling to a first-ball duck. At the same time, South Africa were in celebratory mood after taking a commanding 55-run win in the first ODI of their home series on Wednesday. The match, played at a buzzing stadium, saw Babar last just two balls before offering a simple catch to Hendricks in the covers during the powerplay.
Babar Azam’s return was highly anticipated by fans, with the capacity crowd cheering loudly as he walked to the crease, needing just nine runs to break Rohit Sharma’s all-time record of 4,231 runs in T20 internationals. Babar’s innings came to a quick conclusion when he mis-hit the earlier stated Hendricks, leading to a carded early exit from this match.
Pakistan has recalled Babar for a stern T20 series. In a move that surprised cricketing circles, they rested Fakhar Zaman and looked ahead to the one-day international series against South Africa. Despite efforts from other players, Pakistan struggled to keep pace with South Africa’s aggressive batting, managing only 139 runs in response to the Proteas’ total.
South Africa came out swinging from the first minute of the kickoff. They made 194 runs for the loss of nine wickets after losing the toss and being sent in to bat. Captain Donovan Ferreira was quick to acknowledge how key an explosive start like the one we saw from Hendricks and de Kock is. They constructed an astounding sixth-wicket alliance of 44 runs in just 23 deliveries. De Kock played a fiery innings, smashing five boundaries before being caught at backward point during Saim Ayub’s first over.
Debutant Tony de Zorzi contributed significantly, scoring 33 runs off 16 balls as South Africa raced to 74-1 within the first six overs. At 10 overs, they were 111/3, having lost 3 wickets at the halfway point. They maintained an intimidating run-scoring rate even allowing for a partial resurgence from Pakistan’s spinners.
Pakistan’s bowlers, especially Mohammad Nawaz and Saim Ayub, were able to keep the South African batting attack under pressure. Nawaz finished with 3-26 and Ayub 2-31.
In chasing down the goal, Pakistan’s batting order crumbled. Saim Ayub was the highest scorer for Pakistan with 37 runs from 28 balls. Mohammad Nawaz offered some brief but savage resistance with his 36 off 20 balls. Even that was noteworthy, as they were just among only four batters to reach double digits, underscoring the team’s collective futility.
After the game, Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha was quick to address his players’ need to show more aggression, after lauding his side’s bowling display.
“We just need to bat properly,” – Salman Ali Agha
Lahore will be the venue for the last two matches of this three-match T20 series on Friday and Saturday. Following that, the sides will head to Faisalabad for a three-match ODI series from November 4-8.
South Africa’s victory on home ground is a declaration of artistry and depth. Now, Pakistan is under further scrutiny as they try to recover in the next matches. The players will need to regroup quickly if they hope to challenge a determined South African side that has shown depth and resilience.
