Pakistan struck a nervy first blow in their three-match ODI series against SA, edging the nail-biting opening encounter by two wickets at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad on Tuesday evening.
Set an in-between 264 for victory, Pakistan were in the driver’s seat for most of the game, but the Proteas fought back late in the piece to ensure a close finish.
The home side eventually sneaked home with only two balls to spare, carrying on from the T20 series where they won the last two matches to clinch that series.
The Proteas, who looked set for somewhere around the 300-mark, struggled to adapt to a slowing surface through the middle overs and were eventually dismissed for 263 in the 50th over.
Openers Quinton de Kock and Lhuan-dre Pretorius made half-centuries at the top of the order while conditions were at their best with the hard ball.
Pakistan, after a good start by Fakhar Zaman (45) and Saim Ayub (39), who posted 87 for the first wicket, had a slight wobble, losing three wickets either side of the hundred mark.
Proteas offspinner Donovan Ferreira took the first two wickets, and Bjorn Fortuin the third, that of leading batter Babar Azam for seven.
But Mohammad Rizwan (55) and Salman Agha (62) kept them on track, as batting conditions appeared to ease slightly.
Corbin Bosch removed Rizwan, but not before the pair had added 91 to the total.
At that stage, Pakistan needed 67 at around a run a ball, and the tourists needed to get one or two more quick wickets to build pressure.
Lungi Ngidi did get one, that of Hussain Talat, but it came with only 23 runs to get from 25.
Then George Linde had Hasan Nawaz stumped, and Ngidi accounted for Agha to have Pakistan at 252 for seven with 12 balls left.
There was more drama when Mohammad Nawaz was sent packing by Bosch in the last over, but Pakistan still managed to get over the line.
Fortuin was tight on the evening, as were the other Proteas spinners.
As in the T20s, SA lost the toss and were asked to bat with three debutants, Pretorius, Sinethemba Qeshile and Ferreira, in their line-up.
Pakistan’s decision appeared to benefit the Proteas, as their innings started swiftly with Pretorius slapping a breezy 57.
The left-hander burst onto the international scene, performing well at the Test level but has struggled in T20Is.
But this time around he dovetailed well with fellow left-hander De Kock, who was playing his first ODI since the 2023 World Cup, at the top of the order.
They maintained a steady pace, and their opening stand reached 98 in 16 overs before offspinner Ayub dismissed Pretorius.
De Kock displayed glimpses of old as he struck 63 in 71 balls, while captain Matthew Breetzke continued his fine form in ODIs, scoring 42 in the middle of the order.
Breetzke, who passed 500 ODI runs in only his seventh match, battled manfully through a tough period in the middle overs and scored well off the back foot.
Qeshile, another Gqeberha-based player, had waited almost seven years to play for SA again since making his T20I debut in March 2019.
There was much hype around him back then, but he only played two matches and never batted.
He drifted back into the domestic system until he was given another chance for this series.
He looked the part, scoring off the first delivery he faced and striking three fours in his run-a-ball 22 before the slowness of the deck saw him spoon a catch off Mohammad Nawaz to Zaman at backward point.
As the ball became softer, the Pakistan spinners started putting a brake on the Proteas rate.
Legspinner Abrar Ahmed took some tap early doors but came back to collect three wickets, while seamer Naseem Shah claimed three of his own.
Bosch hit six fours in his 41 off 40 at the death to ensure the team moved past the 260 mark.
The Herald
