A late-innings Anrich Nortje burst set up a grandstand finish but was not enough to save the Proteas as Pakistan claimed a nailbiting last ball three-wicket win in the first Betway ODI at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Friday.
Needing three runs to win off the last six balls, allrounder Andile Phehlukwayo bowled a fantastic final over, picking up the wicket of the set Shadab Khan (33) caught by Rassie van der Dussen off the first delivery, before bowling three dot balls, leaving three needed off two deliveries, only for Faheem Ashraf (5*) to hit a two and then a single to win a thrilling match.
Earlier, a maiden Van der Dussen ODI century helped South Africa set Pakistan a competitive 274 to win, which they were well on course for at 186 for one in the 32nd over, before Nortje picked up four quick wickets to reduce them to 203 for five.
This included the prized scalps of captain Babar Azam who struck a magnificent hundred, falling for 103 off 104 balls (17x4) and the set Imam-ul-Haq, 70 off 80 balls (3x4; 1x6) which left the tourists in a spot of bother.
However, Mohammad Rizwan (40) and Shadab Khan steadied things and looked to be taking their side home with a solid 53-run sixth-wicket partnership, before Phehlukwayo had Rizwan caught by Kagiso Rabada at deep midwicket in the 48th over with 18 still needed to win, leading to the exciting finish.
At the start of the innings, the Pakistan chase got off to a slow start as opener Fakhar Zaman (8) showed no foot movement and ended up dragging a ball from Rabada back onto his own stumps, before they inched their way to 14 for one after seven overs.
The eighth over saw a big moment as Azam got a thick edge on a Lungi Ngidi delivery towards the third man, however, Aiden Markram at second slip threw himself to his right and managed to get a hand to the ball, but couldn’t cling on as the chance went down.
The chance seemed to settle Babar down and along with Imam they kicked on, sharing in a monster 177-run second-wicket stand that set them on the way to victory.
FIRED-UP NORTJE
They gradually picked up the run rate, taking their side past 50 in the 13th over, their 50-stand came up in the 14th, while Azam brought up his half-century in the 21st over with a driven boundary off Tabraiz Shamsi.
The 22nd over saw Pakistan cross the hundred-run mark, with the century stand following in the 24th, while consecutive boundaries to Imam off the bowling of Ngidi in the 25th saw him reach his half-century.
Pakistan’s 150 followed in the 28th over as well as the 150-run partnership in the 29th, before Babar reached his century with a boundary off Nortje in the 32nd over.
However, with the very next ball, Nortje got one to shape away and take the edge of Babar's bat, with Quinton de Kock taking the catch behind the stumps.
Nortje was now fired up and in his next three overs he picked up a wicket in each, with Imam first miscuing a pull shot to Rabada at mid-on, Danish Aziz (3) edged behind to De Kock and Asif Ali (2) pulled one straight to Phehlukwayo at midwicket, as they crashed to 203 for five, which set up the thrilling end to the game.
Nortje was the pick of the bowlers with 4-51, while Phehlukwayo also impressed with 2-56 including some superb death bowling.
RASSIE PUNISHES SLOPPY FIELDING
At the start of play, Pakistan won the toss and sent the Proteas in to bat, with Van der Dussen leading them to a competitive 273 for six off their 50 overs.
Van der Dussen took full advantage of a reprieve when he was dropped on nought to end the innings unbeaten on 123 off 134 balls (10x4; 2x6), while he shared in a vitally important 116-run fifth-wicket stand with David Miller, 50 off 56 balls (5x4), as they rescued their side from the precarious position of 55 for four.
The final seven overs of the innings saw Van der Dussen accelerate, helping South Africa score 68 runs in that period, while he crossed the three-figure milestone with a single in the 47th over.
The Proteas got off to a slow start with just two runs coming off the first two overs.
Opener De Kock (20) targeted the third and fifth overs bowled by Shaheen Shah Afridi, hitting a six and three boundaries as 20 came off them, while Markram (19) hit two fours off the sixth bowled by Mohammad Hasnain, which boosted them to 34.
However, in Afridi’s next over De Kock fell on his sword as he tried to hit him over the top, but mistimed the shot straight to Babar at mid-off to become the first wicket to fall.
It then turned out to be a very eventful over as Afridi followed that up with a no-ball, with Markram taking full advantage to hammer the free hit for six, but the very next ball then saw Markram tamely chip the ball to Ashraf at mid-on leaving them on 41 for two after seven.
Captain Temba Bavuma (1) gave his wicket away in the eighth, hitting Hasnain straight to Afridi at third man, while new man Heinrich Klaasen was given out LBW first ball, but reviewed straight away with an inside edge having the decision reversed with the Proteas on 43 for three.
Van der Dussen received his reprieve in the ninth over as a thick outside edge flew wide of second slip, with Asif Ali flinging himself to his right and getting a hand to the ball but was not able to hold on to the tough chance.
Pakistan were in full control at this stage as they only allowed Van der Dussen and Klaasen to score one run off their first 23 balls, while Klaasen’s painful innings finally came to an end in the 15th over as he inside-edged an Ashraf ball to keeper Rizwan to depart for one off 21 balls, leaving the home side in trouble on 55-4.
However, this brought Miller to the crease and they set about rebuilding their team’s innings with a superb stand that set up the cracking finish.
They first took the Proteas past the hundred run mark in the 23rd and brought up their 50 stand in the 25th.
The Proteas' 150 came up in the 32nd over, with Van der Dussen cracking Danish to the boundary in the next over to bring up his half-century.
A single to Miller in the 34th over then saw him reach his 50, however, having only faced three more balls over the next two overs without scoring, Miller pushed at a Harris Rauf ball only to edge it behind to Rizwan with the Proteas on 171 for five after 36 overs.
Phehlukwayo (29) and Rabada (unbeaten on 13) shared in important stands of 64 and 38 respectively with Van der Dussen in the closing overs as they set Pakistan a stiff target to chase.
SOUTH AFRICA: Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma (capt), Rassie van der Dussen, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi
PAKISTAN: Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Danish Aziz, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Rauf