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SA vs PAK 2024/25, South Africa vs Pakistan 1st T20I, Durban Match Report, December 10, 2024

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9 hours ago

December 11, 2024

SA vs PAK 2024/25, South Africa vs Pakistan 1st T20I, Durban Match Report, December 10, 2024

South Africa 183 for 9 (Miller 82, Linde 48, Shaheen 3-22, Abrar 3-37) beat Pakistan 172 for 8 (Rizwan 74, Ayub 31, Linde 4-21) by 11 runs

Having not performed for South Africa for 3 years, George Linde made up for misplaced time on one electrical Kingsmead night with a shocking all-round efficiency. A 24-ball 48 with the bat and 4-21 with the ball battered a valiant Pakistan, who went down by 11 runs. The umpire even thought he had a hat-trick within the penultimate over earlier than a overview denied him that glory however not his undisputed Participant-of-the-Match award. Mohammad Rizwan, who confronted the primary ball, was there within the last over as his crew went down preventing, a late assault from the captain not fairly sufficient to undo the injury of a sluggish first half of an innings the place he managed simply 36 in his first 44 deliveries, even when he did end with 74 off 62.

South Africa got here into the primary T20I in Durban with a decidedly second-string aspect, however it does not matter when David Miller is within the kind he discovered at present. An impressive 40-ball 82 ran by way of the primary innings like a dagger for Pakistan, who believed that they had made early progress when Shaheen Shah Afridi and Abrar Ahmed eliminated Rassie van der Dussen, Reeza Hendricks and Matthew Breetzke early. However Miller ensured the runs stored flowing, and Pakistan’s spinners could not have the affect they hoped for on a real, flat Durban pitch Heinrich Klaasen had little hesitation in opting to bat first on.

Saim Ayub gave Pakistan a flying begin regardless of the lack of Babar Azam for a duck early on, however South Africa reined them in by way of the center overs. Rizwan struggled to get going and Pakistan’s inexperienced center order could not hold the asking charge in examine from the opposite finish. It allowed South Africa to get tidy overs in by way of the center whereas selecting up common wickets, and impulsively Pakistan have been operating out of batters and overs.

An errant seventeenth over from the in any other case spectacular 18-year-old Kwena Maphaka allowed Pakistan 24 runs, and so they all of the sudden discovered themselves again within the sport. Rizwan was flying by then, smashing two sixes off Maphaka and three fours off Ottneil Baartman, and Pakistan had all of the sudden dragged themselves again in, needing 19 off the ultimate over. However Maphaka, who returned for the twentieth over, had Rizwan top-edging a slower ball, and the sport was over as a contest. Pakistan had paid for his or her generosity with the ball on the loss of life, and tardiness with the bat early on. South Africa have been scientific sufficient to take full benefit.

The Killer Miller Present

David Miller has made a fame for being a middle- and late-overs bludgeoner. However after Shaheen and Abrar struck early, Miller got here in at No. 4 in an inexperienced aspect. And for the following hour or so, he demonstrated how his timing and approach have been each bit equal to his energy. Benefiting from starting his innings within the powerplay, he whipped Shaheen off the pads to get going, earlier than punching him by way of the covers for one more boundary.

The standard of his timing was on full show towards Sufiyan Muqeem simply after the powerplay. The left-arm wristspinner tried to remain out of his arc by bowling large of off and spinning it away, however Miller’s extension of the arms and power on the finish of his vary lay waste to that tactic. He creamed him over the extra-cover boundary, the place the fielder may solely watch it sail over his head. Muqeem tried it as soon as extra two balls later, solely to have the identical therapy meted out to him with – if it was potential – even much less effort.

Miller had simply bought began, and was brutal towards spin, slapping Abrar for 3 straight sixes within the tenth over. He reduce throughout the innings like a scythe for Pakistan; between the time he got here on and when Shaheen lastly had him gap out, he added 82 of South Africa’s 125.

Linde punishes Rizwan’s gamble

Techniques are invariably judged by outcomes quite than thought processes, and Linde ensured Rizwan’s aggressive death-overs gambit value Pakistan closely. After Miller fell and Pakistan adopted up with two extra fast blows to scale back South Africa to 141 for 8, the Pakistan captain noticed a possibility to bowl South Africa out. Shaheen, Abbas Afridi and Haris Rauf have been bowled out by the nineteenth over; Pakistan had maybe hoped South Africa’s innings could be wrapped up by then.

However that did not occur, with Linde managing the strike and Maphaka’s odd boundary taking the strain off them. It left Muqeem to bowl the ultimate over, and when Linde refused a single off the primary ball, his intentions have been apparent. Muqeem missed his size on virtually each one of many final 5 deliveries; three went for sixes earlier than Linde lastly miscued the final ball to cow nook. However South Africa had surged to 183, and Pakistan’s hopes of cleansing them out beneath par have been lifeless and buried.

Rizbar now, Rizbar perpetually?

The obituary of the Mohammad Rizwan-Babar Azam opening has been written far too many occasions to aim one other one. It appeared Pakistan’s days of opening with their two trusty anchors have been lastly achieved, however in a steep chase, it was these two who walked out whereas Saim Ayub sat within the dugout. Each regarded rusty and properly off the tempo required. Babar may have fallen to Maphaka first ball, and in the end did off the fourth with out scoring.

Ayub got here in and demonstrated why he’s so potent within the first six, his full repertoire of energy, panache and audacity on show as he blitzed by way of the remaining powerplay, hanging seven boundaries in his first 13 balls to race to 31. He’s much less efficient when the sector spreads out, and holed out to sweeper cowl off the second ball he confronted post-powerplay. He had bought Pakistan off to a flyer, although, and left one questioning how a lot he may have added had he been round from the very begin. On the loss of life, it grew to become obvious how each run would have mattered.

Danyal Rasool is ESPNcricinfo’s Pakistan correspondent. @Danny61000