1st T20I
Mohammad Rizwan’s late effort has fall short as Linde and Miller has guided South Africa to a 1-0 lead
South Africa scored 183/9 in 20 overs, where as Pakistan scored 172/8 in 20 overs.
So, finally South Africa beat Pakistan by 11 runs.
Just a day after clinching the Test series against Sri Lanka, South Africa fielded a completely different XI to edge past Pakistan in the opening T20I in Durban.
David Miller’s explosive 82 off 40 balls, including 8 sixes, and George Linde’s all-round brilliance—48 runs with the bat followed by a four-wicket haul—played key roles in South Africa’s tight 11-run victory.
For Pakistan, the outcome could have been different had captain Mohammad Rizwan not left it too late in the chase.
Pakistan’s powerplay in the chase unfolded in two distinct phases.
Babar Azam opened with Rizwan but was dismissed for a duck by young Kwena Maphaka.
After that early blow, Pakistan accelerated from 19/1 to 55/1 by the end of the powerplay, thanks to a blistering 31 off 13 balls from Saim Ayub.
However, Ayub was dismissed soon after the powerplay, and Pakistan’s momentum was halted.
The team suffered another blow when Usman Khan, after being reprieved, mistimed a shot and was caught.
The chase was then dominated by Rizwan’s slow progress.
At one point, he was stuck on 24 off 32 balls, with his strike rate barely surpassing 100.
It only picked up in the 17th over when Rizwan hit two sixes off Maphaka to bring up his half-century.
However, just when Pakistan appeared to be building momentum, Linde’s three-wicket over swung the game in South Africa’s favor.
The over left Rizwan with too much to do in the final two overs, needing 31 off 12 balls.
Rizwan fought back, hitting three boundaries, but with 18 required off 5 balls, his mistimed shot off Maphaka sealed Pakistan’s fate.
Maphaka closed out the game perfectly, giving South Africa the series lead.
Earlier, South Africa posted 183/9, with a dramatic start from Shaheen Afridi.
He dismissed Rassie van der Dussen for a golden duck and nearly removed Matthew Breetzke.
Breetzke survived a close call before smashing a six, only to be dismissed in the next ball.
Despite the early setbacks, Miller played a key role, taking on Shaheen and finding boundaries.
However, Pakistan maintained control in the powerplay, with Abrar Ahmed removing Reeza Hendricks.
Miller and Heinrich Klaasen then steadied the ship, with Miller dominating.
He launched into a six-hitting spree, clearing the ropes three times in six balls, to boost the run rate.
Despite Klaasen’s dismissal, Miller continued his onslaught, including a hat-trick of sixes off Abrar, to race to 80 off just 37 balls.
Despite losing Donovan Ferreira, Miller’s destructive innings kept South Africa on track.
By the 13th over, South Africa had reached 131/6, but with five wickets down, they faced a real risk of failing to bat out their overs.
The situation worsened when Shaheen dismissed Miller for 82, and Abrar and Shaheen took further wickets to reduce South Africa to 141/8 with four overs left.
At this stage, the hosts were in danger of failing to post a competitive total.
However, Linde and Maphaka turned the tide in the slog overs, hitting a series of boundaries.
Linde’s three sixes in the final over ensured South Africa regained momentum before Linde’s bowling performance sealed the win.
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