The pitch is expected to look a bit flat with some grass cover, ideal for batting early but likely to quicken up under the lights, aiding seamers with the new ball.
It will be a mild autumn evening in Rawalpindi, expected to be a bit dry with a slight dew later. The temperatures are expected to hover around 25 degrees Celsius.
Toss
Pakistan won the toss and decided to bowl first.
Lineups
Pakistan XI: Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Hasan Nawaz, Abdul Samad, Sahibzada Farhan, Usman Khan (WK), Salman Agha (C), Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Usman Tariq, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
South Africa XI: Tony de Zorzi, Reeza Hendricks, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Donnovan Ferreira (C), Quinton de Kock (WK), George Linde, Andile Simelane, Lizaad Williams, Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi.
Match Report
Pakistan skipper Salman Agha won the toss and asked South Africa to bat first. The Proteas faced a first blow in the fourth over, at the team score of just 27 runs. It happened when Tony de Zorzi was dismissed by Shaheen Afridi on the fourth ball of the fourth over. Following De Zorzi’s dismissal, Reeza Hendricks and Dewald Brevis stitched a crucial partnership of 56 runs for the second wicket. Mohammad Wasim Jr broke this partnership, dismissing Hendricks, at the individual score of 52 runs off 37 balls, with five fours and two sixes. Later in the innings, Dewald Brevis also smashed a quick knock of 43 runs off 25 balls, with two fours and four sixes. Furthermore, Donnovan Ferreira (16) and Quinton de Kock (21) helped the Proteas post 179/7 in the allotted 20 overs. Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Wasim Jr scalped two wickets each for Pakistan in the first innings.
While chasing the target, the opening pair of Saim Ayub and former skipper Babar Azam stitched a brilliant opening partnership of 59 runs in 6.4 overs. This partnership ended when Saim Ayub’s quick knock came to an end, after scoring 44 runs off 27 balls, with six fours and two sixes. Following his dismissal, Babar Azam stood strong there in the middle and added another 45-run partnership for the second wicket with Hasan Nawaz (15) before the latter was dismissed on the first ball of the 10th over. However, another 44-run partnership for the third wicket between Babar Azam and Abdul Samad (20) turned the game in favour of the hosts. Babar went on to play a match-winning knock of 68 runs off 48 balls, with seven fours and a six. These contributions helped the hosts chase down the target comfortably in 19.1 overs, scoring 180/5. Lungi Ngidi scalped two wickets for 32 runs in his four overs, alongside a wicket each picked by Nandre Burger and George Linde, but these efforts couldn’t help the visitors win the game.
Player of the Match
Former Pakistan skipper and star batter Babar Azam won the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his match-winning knock of 68 runs off just 48 balls, with seven fours and a six. Besides that, he had also been a part of three crucial partnerships with Saim Ayub, Hasan Nawaz, and Abdul Samad to help the hosts win.
Scorecard