Pakistan pip Proteas by three runs in thriller

Pakistan pipped the Proteas by three runs in a dramatic first T20I at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Thursday.

Chasing 170 for victory, the Proteas needed an intimidating 19 off the final over. Dwayne Pretorius and Bjorn Fortuin managed 13 off the first five deliveries from Faheem Ashraf in foggy conditions, but Fortuin was unable to conjure a six off the final ball, squirting the ball to deep midwicket to leave the hosts narrow but deserving victors.

Pakistan’s victory was largely due to player of the match Mohammad Rizwan’s splendid unbeaten century with the bat and a devastating spell of leg-spin bowling by Usman Qadir (son of Pakistani great Abdul Qadir) who picked up two wickets for four runs in his first two overs when South Africa were in full cry, and 2-21 in his full quota of four overs.

Qadir came on in the seventh over when South Africa had raced to 53 without loss, thanks largely to Janneman Malan’s aggressive 44 in 29 balls, including eight fours and a six. With his fifth delivery, Qadir delivered the ball of the match, the ball curving into Malan before spinning past his defensive push to knock back his off-stump.

Debutant Jacques Snyman, batting at three, was all at sea against the legspinner, unable to pick the googly, and it was no surprise when he perished, bowled slogging at a delivery that sneaked in between bat and pad.

Malan’s partner, Reeza Hendricks, who started quietly, increased the momentum of the innings despite the loss of David Miller (6), helped by some useful contributions from Heinrich Klaasen (12) and Andile Phehlukwayo (14). But in the 18th over, when South Africa were well in the game, his innings of 54 in 42 balls came to a strange end when he scuffed a yorker just behind him but seemed unaware of where the ball was. While he dithered in mid-pitch, Rizwan dived forward to remove the bails and run him out.

Earlier, Rizwan carried the weight of the Pakistan innings almost entirely on his own shoulders as he struck a superb 104 not out in 64 balls, including six fours and seven sixes. It was his first T20I ton for his country and he hit the most sixes of any Pakistani in the format. His performance capped a remarkable week for the wicketkeeper-batsman who had earlier struck his first test century in Rawalpindi that set up Pakistan’s victory in the match and a 2-0 series win.

An indication of the lop-sided nature of the Pakistan innings was that the next highest score to Rizwan’s was Haider Ali’s 21.

South Africa couldn’t have enjoyed a better start to the match after captain Strydom won the toss and chose to field first on a slow track in foggy conditions and ever-present dew on the outfield.

Pakistan’s star batsman, Babar Azam, clipped his first delivery from left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin towards mid-on before calling for a single. Perhaps the run was ill-advised, but Fortuin did brilliantly to field the ball, turn and throw down the wicket in one movement.

In fact, South Africa’s fielding and catching was first-rate for most of the Pakistan innings with Snyman pulling off a brilliant catch on the midwicket boundary to get rid of the dangerous Ali and Miller later nonchalantly plucking the ball out of the air at long-on to dismiss Ashraf. But the high standards slipped in the death overs with Rizwan dropped twice in two overs by Junior Dala and Snyman before he smacked his seventh six in the final over to reach three figures.

Andile Phehlukwayo got a couple of wickets but it was Tabraiz Shamsi, who would have played in the first test but for a back spasm, who was comfortably South Africa’s best bowler. The unconventional left-arm wristspinner took 1-20 in his four overs, including the scalp of Hussain Talat stumped by Klaasen after his second delivery spun viciously past his bat.

The players will take a break on Friday, with the final two games in the three-match series taking place in Lahore on Saturday and Sunday.

PAKISTAN: Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (capt), Haider Ali, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Usman Qadir, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf

SOUTH AFRICA: Janneman Malan, Reeza Hendricks, Jacques Snyman, Heinrich Klaasen (capt & wk), David Miller, Dwaine Pretorius, Andile Phehlukwayo, Bjorn Fortuin, Junior Dala, Lutho Sipamla, Tabraiz Shamsi