PAK vs SA | Sensational Rizwan-Salman tons banish Pak’s chasing voodoo as hosts hunt down 353 ins tyle

Winning the toss and opting to bat first, skipper Temba Bavuma and oepning partner Tony de Zorzi got ‌South Africa off to a confident start on a flat Karachi track with little to offer for bowlers. The latter took it upon himself to hit Abrar Ahmed out of the attack when introduced in the seventh over, smacking a maximum and a boundary in the leg-spinner’s opening effort, but could not survive Shaheen Afridi’s ensuing set to depart after a quick 22. The arrival of Matthew Breetzke only provided the visitors further impetus as eight boundaries were scored between overs 11 and 16, helping Bavuma bring up a 56-ball half-century. The hosts placed their faith on spin to break the bludgeoning stand as Abrar, Salman Agha Ali, and Khushdil Shah operated in tandem, and then turned to pacers Naseem Shah, Mohamamd Hasnain, and Afridi when the plan backfired. It made little difference to Breetzke who brought up his own half-century after a ton on debut and the partnership ticked past 100. The wicket drought sparked a heated confrontation between Breetzke and Afridi with the two nearly coming to blows but despite the ugly scenes, the break in flow was just what the hosts needed as four deliveries later a horrid mix-up left Bavuma stranded on 82. The wicket served as a brief let-up, with just 11 runs coming off the next three overs courtesy of Henirich Klaasen’s scratchy start, but some poor bowling from Hasnain in the 33rd over saw him concede four boundaries and get Klaasen into the zone. There was little stopping the duo thereafter as 37 runs followed over the next four and even after Breetzke and Wiaan Mulder holed out in quick succession, Klaasen kept gunning ahead to bring up a 38-ball 50. It was only the precursor to the main show as Afridi got taken apart for 20 runs by the destroyer in his final over, and with Kyle Verreyne also joining into the act alongwith Corbin Bosch’s lusty blows in the last over, the visitors ended on a formidable 352/5.

In response, Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam walked out brimming with intent, the latter making an early statement with two boundaries in the first over. A cumulative nine boundaries from both had taken the score to 56 in just six overs when an inseamer from Wiaan Mulder dispatched Babar for 23. Corbin Bosch added a second powerplay breakthrough in the 10th over with Saud Shakeel holing out for 15 and a blinder from Klaasen ended Zaman’s stay just six deliveries later to suddenly leave the hosts reeling at 91/3. As it turned out, it was the last time the Proteas would be in control of the game. The newly arrived bats Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha put up an exhibition masterclass as they kept the scorebaord ticking with singles and doubles while finding the occassional boundary to keep the required run rate under check. The stand cruised along to 100 without much ado and by the time it touched 150 with both batters inching towards their tons, the equation read 107 off the last 13 overs. However, a case of the nervous nineties seemed to take its toll on Salman, until Rizwan brought up his own 106-ball century by smashing Mulder beyond the fence and just three deliveries later, Salman got to the mark himself in the 14-run over as noise levels in the stadium reached a crescendo. A nominal eight runs an over was required thereafter and a 16-run 45th over effectively killed off the game. Unfortunately, the 260-run stand — the third-highest in Pakistan history — ended when the chequered flag was just two runs away but Rizwan finished things off in style with a boundaryto seal the six-wicket win.

Pakistan is about to chase 350+😱😱
What’s the world coming to?

— Guru Gulab (@madaddie24) February 12, 2025