RAWALPINDI: South Africa secured a 55-run victory over Pakistan in the first match of the three-match T20 series, taking a 1-0 lead in the series.
Chasing a target of 195 runs set by South Africa, Pakistan team was all out in the 19th over for 139 runs.
The match was played in Rawalpindi, where Pakistan won the toss and invited South Africa to bat first.For the first T20, Pakistan’s playing XI included Saiq Ayoob, Sahibzada Faran, Babar Azam, and captain Salman Agha. The team also featured Hasan Nawaaz, Usman Khan, Muhammad Nawaaz, Fahim Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Abrar Ahmed.
South Africa’s Innings:
South Africa scored 194 runs for 9 wickets in their 20 overs. Reeza Hendricks was the top scorer with 60 runs, while George Linde contributed 36, and Dwaine Pretorius scored 33.
Pakistan’s Bowling:
Muhammad Nawaaz took 3 wickets, Saiq Ayoob took 2, while Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, and Naseem Shah each claimed one wicket.
Pakistan’s Innings:
In response to South Africa’s 195, Pakistan’s entire team was dismissed for 139 runs in the 19th over’s first ball.
Top scorers for Pakistan included Saiq Ayoob with 37 and Muhammad Nawaaz with 36. Sahibzada Faran contributed 24 runs. The rest of the batting lineup—Babar Azam, captain Salman Agha, Usman Khan, Hasan Nawaaz, Fahim Ashraf, and Shaheen Afridi—scored 0, 2, 12, 3, 1, and 4 runs respectively.
South Africa’s bowlers:
Keshav Maharaj took 4 wickets, George Linde claimed 3, and Lizaad Williams took 2 wickets.
Notably, the Pakistani team wore pink jerseys in the first T20 match to raise awareness for breast cancer, with the South African team and match officials also donning pink ribbons in support of the cause.
