PAKISTAN bowlers held their nerve to claim a most unlikely one-run victory over South Africa in dramatic fashion in the second Momentum one-day international at Axxess St George’s last night.
The win means Pakistan have won their first-ever bilateral ODI series in SA.
Chasing 263 in 45 overs, the Proteas looked set for victory with 11 needed off the last two overs, six wickets in hand and Hashim Amla well-set in the 90s.
But somehow, the South Africans managed to locate a well-hidden panic button which saw them spiral into despair.
Saeed Ajmal was charged with bowling the second-last over and amazingly conceded only two runs while taking the wicket of Amla, who fell trying to slogsweep the spinner’s final delivery for six.
Still the target was within reach as David Miller joined JP Duminy at crease with nine needed off the final six balls to be bowled by Junaid Khan.
The left-arm seamer dismissed a slogging Duminy with his second ball and it eventually came down to Miller needing to hit the final ball of the match for six. He only managed four leg byes and Pakistan secured a famous victory.
Moments earlier AB de Villiers produced some audacious stroke-play as he cut, pulled, drove and lapped his way to an extraordinary 74 runs off 45 balls which took his team to the brink of victory.
When he got out trying another big hit, the Proteas were cruising needing 36 off 38 balls.
De Villiers battled to explain what had happened at the post-match press conference. “That’s the game of cricket I guess,” a disappointed De Villiers said.
“I had the game in my hands with Hash out there with me. I’ve finished a lot of games like that before and I was on a bit of a roll there.
“I should have caught my breath a little bit and looked at the situation again.
“Any game that we lose is disappointing. We’re here to win. We lost the series now and that’s even worse. I guess we fought back nicely there in the second half, that’s one of the positives.
“We will try and see where we went wrong and try improve in the next one.”
Amla played a major part in the run-chase making 98 off 131 balls as did Quinton de Kock (47) with whom Amla laid the solid foundation at the top of the order.
But it was De Villiers and his dominant role in a 110-run partnership in 13 overs with Amla which should have won it for the Proteas. De Villiers cracked eight fours and two sixes.
Play got under way two hours late at noon and the match was reduced to a 45-over affair.
Two individual performances eventually stood out like beacons in the Pakistan innings after the visitors were asked to bat first.
Pakistan opener Ahmed Shehzad registered his third one-day international hundred and Dale Steyn underlined his status as the world’s premier fast bowler by returning his best figures in this format of the game with 6/39.
A determined Shehzad survived a lively opening spell by Steyn which saw the fast bowler uproot Nasir Jamshed’s offstump with the fifth delivery of the day.
He then nicked off his bunny Mohammad Hafeez to once again have Pakistan in early trouble at 22 for two in seven overs. Steyn has now dismissed Hafeez 15 times in 23 matches.
But a 124-run partnership at almost a run a ball, between Shehzad and Sohaib Maqsood (42) for the third wicket set the platform for an assault in the latter overs.
Shehzad eventually ran himself out for 102 having struck eight fours and two sixes in his 112-ball stay at the crease.
Akmal made up for his misunderstanding with Shehzad by clubbing 42 off only 30 deliveries at the death to help propel his team to a total of note.
Steyn, in the meantime, was picking up wickets at the other end and mowed through the middle order and tail to eclipse his previous best figures of 5/25 also against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi earlier this month.
SA snap loss from jaws of win
The win means Pakistan have won their first-ever bilateral ODI series in SA.
Chasing 263 in 45 overs, the Proteas looked set for victory with 11 needed off the last two overs, six wickets in hand and Hashim Amla well-set in the 90s.
But somehow, the South Africans managed to locate a well-hidden panic button which saw them spiral into despair.
Saeed Ajmal was charged with bowling the second-last over and amazingly conceded only two runs while taking the wicket of Amla, who fell trying to slogsweep the spinner’s final delivery for six.
Still the target was within reach as David Miller joined JP Duminy at crease with nine needed off the final six balls to be bowled by Junaid Khan.
The left-arm seamer dismissed a slogging Duminy with his second ball and it eventually came down to Miller needing to hit the final ball of the match for six. He only managed four leg byes and Pakistan secured a famous victory.
Moments earlier AB de Villiers produced some audacious stroke-play as he cut, pulled, drove and lapped his way to an extraordinary 74 runs off 45 balls which took his team to the brink of victory.
When he got out trying another big hit, the Proteas were cruising needing 36 off 38 balls.
De Villiers battled to explain what had happened at the post-match press conference. “That’s the game of cricket I guess,” a disappointed De Villiers said.
“I had the game in my hands with Hash out there with me. I’ve finished a lot of games like that before and I was on a bit of a roll there.
“I should have caught my breath a little bit and looked at the situation again.
“Any game that we lose is disappointing. We’re here to win. We lost the series now and that’s even worse. I guess we fought back nicely there in the second half, that’s one of the positives.
“We will try and see where we went wrong and try improve in the next one.”
Amla played a major part in the run-chase making 98 off 131 balls as did Quinton de Kock (47) with whom Amla laid the solid foundation at the top of the order.
But it was De Villiers and his dominant role in a 110-run partnership in 13 overs with Amla which should have won it for the Proteas. De Villiers cracked eight fours and two sixes.
Play got under way two hours late at noon and the match was reduced to a 45-over affair.
Two individual performances eventually stood out like beacons in the Pakistan innings after the visitors were asked to bat first.
Pakistan opener Ahmed Shehzad registered his third one-day international hundred and Dale Steyn underlined his status as the world’s premier fast bowler by returning his best figures in this format of the game with 6/39.
A determined Shehzad survived a lively opening spell by Steyn which saw the fast bowler uproot Nasir Jamshed’s offstump with the fifth delivery of the day.
He then nicked off his bunny Mohammad Hafeez to once again have Pakistan in early trouble at 22 for two in seven overs. Steyn has now dismissed Hafeez 15 times in 23 matches.
But a 124-run partnership at almost a run a ball, between Shehzad and Sohaib Maqsood (42) for the third wicket set the platform for an assault in the latter overs.
Shehzad eventually ran himself out for 102 having struck eight fours and two sixes in his 112-ball stay at the crease.
Akmal made up for his misunderstanding with Shehzad by clubbing 42 off only 30 deliveries at the death to help propel his team to a total of note.
Steyn, in the meantime, was picking up wickets at the other end and mowed through the middle order and tail to eclipse his previous best figures of 5/25 also against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi earlier this month.
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