Pakistan roared back in style, leveling the SA vs PAK T20I series 1-1 after dismantling South Africa with a nine-wicket win in Lahore. A brilliant all-round display saw Salman Mirza, Faheem Ashraf, and Naseem Shah rip through the Proteas lineup before Saim Ayub’s unbeaten 71 off 38 balls sealed the chase with ease.
It came just two days after Pakistan had been left disappointed in Rawalpindi and showed the resilience of the visitors coming into a series decider.
Pakistan’s Seamers Demolish South Africa for 110
South Africa had a nightmare of a start after being invited to bat first, folding to 66 for 6 inside 10 overs. Pakistan’s bowlers, led by Salman Mirza, came very close to bowling the perfect plan pace-off deliveries mixed with sharp movement to keep the visitors to just 110 all out.
Mirza, playing only his sixth T20I, set the tone early by removing Reeza Hendricks with a delivery that swung back sharply to hit leg stump. He then dismissed Tony de Zorzi with a clever slower-ball bouncer and bowled Matthew Breetzke with a cutter, finishing a fiery spell that left South Africa reeling at 23 for 4.
Meanwhile, Naseem Shah removed Quinton de Kock, caught at mid-off, to extend his sequence of low scores since returning to international cricket.
Faheem Ashraf Cleans Up the Middle Order
The only resistance from South Africa came through Dewald Brevis, who smacked a quickfire 25 from 16 deliveries, including three towering sixes. His counterattack was short-lived, though, as he miscued a slower short ball from Faheem Ashraf straight to cover.
Faheem continued to dominate and removed Donovan Ferreira and George Linde with short deliveries as both batters edged the ball onto their stumps. The Proteas limped to 110 and apart from Brevis’s cameo, no big partnership was formed.
The varying pace of Pakistan and sticking to their plans paid rich dividends, as South Africa never found the rhythm throughout their innings.
Saim Ayub’s 360-Degree Masterclass
While South Africa struggled to find their timing, Saim Ayub was making batting look ridiculously easy. The left-handed opener smashed his maiden T20I half-century on home soil in a whirlwind unbeaten 71 off 38 deliveries.
Ayub made mincemeat of anything of width or short of length, as he drove, pulled and even hit a no-look six over square leg. The over that really set the tone was the ninth, as he clattered 21 runs off Ottniel Baartman in a stunning sequence of four, six, four and another six to put Pakistan in control for good.
Ayub’s 54-run partnership with Sahibzada Farhan and an unbroken 58-run stand with Babar Azam ensured the chase was completed with 41 balls remaining.
Babar Azam Breaks T20I Record in Style
After a rare duck in the previous game, Babar Azam bounced back in home conditions, leading Pakistan to a victory while reaching a major career milestone.
Babar overtook Rohit Sharma’s 4231 runs as the leading run-scorer in T20Is with a single off Donovan Ferreira in the 12th over. The Lahore crowd erupted in applause as the captain reached the record with composure, eventually finishing unbeaten alongside Ayub. The all-time T20I list now has Babar sitting atop with 4232 runs, a remarkable feat for Pakistan’s modern batting icon.
SA vs PAK: Key Performances
Salman Mirza: 3 wickets in a fiery new-ball spell.
Faheem Ashraf: Middle-order wickets that sealed South Africa’s collapse.
Saim Ayub: Unbeaten 71 off 38, including 6 fours and 4 sixes.
Babar Azam: Passed Rohit Sharma to become T20I’s leading run-scorer.
Pakistan: Chased 111 in just 13.1 overs to level SA vs PAK series 1-1
Series Tied at 1-1, Decider Awaits
This emphatic win sets up a mouth-watering finale with less than 24 hours separating the SA vs PAK T20I series from its decider. The Pakistan bowlers were on-song and a fearless Ayub at the top bodes well for the future of their top order. It is now all square between the two teams after both managed to win one each, with the winner of this match to take the series in Lahore.
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