1st T20: South Africa set 195-run target for Pakistan 

Rawalpindi (Web Desk): South Africa set a competitive target of 195 runs for Pakistan in the opening T20I of the series at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, buoyed by a half-century from Reeza Hendricks.

Despite Hendricks’ efforts, Pakistan bowlers staged a late fightback to keep the visitors under 200.

Electing to bat first, South Africa made 194 for nine in their 20 overs. The innings began explosively, with Quinton de Kock returning to the side and combining with Hendricks for a 44-run opening stand in just four overs. De Kock fell for 23 off 13 balls, hitting five boundaries, when Faheem Ashraf dismissed him on the penultimate delivery of the fourth over, providing Pakistan with a much-needed early breakthrough.

Hendricks was joined by debutant Tony de Zorzi, and the pair put on 49 runs for the second wicket, maintaining the momentum for South Africa. De Zorzi impressed on debut, scoring 33 from 16 balls with five fours and a six before being dismissed by Mohammad Nawaz in the eighth over.

South Africa then lost two more wickets in quick succession as Dewald Brevis (9) and Matthew Breetzke (1) fell to Nawaz and Ashraf, respectively. Hendricks continued to anchor the innings with further partnerships, first adding 27 runs with captain Donovan Ferreira (10) and later sharing a 39-run stand with George Linde. Hendricks’ innings ended in the 18th over at 60 off 40 balls, including five boundaries and a six, making him South Africa’s highest scorer.

George Linde followed soon after, scoring 36 runs from 22 balls, which included four fours and a six, before falling to Naseem Shah. Shaheen Shah Afridi struck in the final over to remove all-rounder Corbin Bosch, conceding only six runs.

Mohammad Nawaz led the bowling attack for Pakistan with three wickets for 26 runs, while Saim added two scalps. Abrar Ahmed, Naseem Shah, and Shaheen Shah Afridi contributed one wicket apiece, successfully restricting South Africa below the 200-run mark despite their strong start.

Teams

Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Salman Ali Agha (c), Usman Khan (wk), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Abrar Ahmed

South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Tony de Zorzi, Dewald Brevis, Matthew Breetzke, Donovan Ferreira (c), George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Lizaad Williams, Nandre Burger and Lungi Ngidi