SA maintained their grip on Pakistan’s throat just firmly enough to claim another victory over their perennial opponents at the Wanderers last night.Having won seven of the nine matches they played across all formats against the Pakistanis in the United Arab Emirates starting last month, SA added a four-run win on the Duckworth/Lewis method in the first of two T20 internationals.
The home side were put in to bat and totalled 153/7. Pakistan reached 60/2 in the 9.1 overs they faced before rain, which had delayed the start of the match by 25 minutes, returned to settle the issue.
SA set their innings on fire early and stoked the flames with gusto to score 69 runs without loss in the first seven overs.
Hashim Amla cracked Anwar Ali for four through the covers and flicked him to fine leg for another in the first over. Amla smashed two more boundaries in Anwar’s next over - which included Quinton de Kock fetching a delivery from outside off and sending it scurrying to the square leg fence.
The next three overs, which were bowled by Anwar, Sohail Tanvir and Junaid Khan, also bristled with three fours each as Amla carved and De Kock clubbed.
However, in each of the 12 overs that followed SA were curbed to single-figure tallies. Mohammad Hafeez, debutant Bilawal Bhatti, Shahid Afridi and Junaid were the bowlers responsible.
The opening stand reached 72 before Hafeez yorked Amla for 31 in the eighth over. In the 10th, the off-spinner removed De Kock for 43 by way of an awkward catch neatly taken by Tanvir on the long-on boundary.
Faf du Plessis looked to be going places before he slapped a delivery from Junaid straight to mid-off, and JP Duminy gave Bhatti his first international wicket with a pulled to midwicket.
It needed David Miller’s muscle - his 19 not out came off 11 balls - and help from the licorice allsorts of the lower order to heave SA to their middling total, which marked the 21st time in 41 international innings in the format at the Wanderers that a team had reached 150.
Pakistan made a quiet start to their reply, with Ahmed Shehzad and Nasir Jamshed finding the boundary just twice in the 14 balls they faced together before Shehzad chopped an inswinger from Lonwabo Tsotsobe onto his stumps.
Jamshed and Hafeez had added 32 runs, just 12 of them in boundaries, for the second wicket when Jamshed blooped a ball from Duminy towards the off-side. The bowler dived full-length and held a fine catch.
Ten deliveries later, after a low growl and a few angry snakes of lightning issued forth from the night sky, the rain came back with Pakistan just short of where they needed to be to be declared winners.
The second match of the series will be played at Newlands on Friday
Proteas win again
Having won seven of the nine matches they played across all formats against the Pakistanis in the United Arab Emirates starting last month, SA added a four-run win on the Duckworth/Lewis method in the first of two T20 internationals.
The home side were put in to bat and totalled 153/7. Pakistan reached 60/2 in the 9.1 overs they faced before rain, which had delayed the start of the match by 25 minutes, returned to settle the issue.
SA set their innings on fire early and stoked the flames with gusto to score 69 runs without loss in the first seven overs.
Hashim Amla cracked Anwar Ali for four through the covers and flicked him to fine leg for another in the first over. Amla smashed two more boundaries in Anwar’s next over - which included Quinton de Kock fetching a delivery from outside off and sending it scurrying to the square leg fence.
The next three overs, which were bowled by Anwar, Sohail Tanvir and Junaid Khan, also bristled with three fours each as Amla carved and De Kock clubbed.
However, in each of the 12 overs that followed SA were curbed to single-figure tallies. Mohammad Hafeez, debutant Bilawal Bhatti, Shahid Afridi and Junaid were the bowlers responsible.
The opening stand reached 72 before Hafeez yorked Amla for 31 in the eighth over. In the 10th, the off-spinner removed De Kock for 43 by way of an awkward catch neatly taken by Tanvir on the long-on boundary.
Faf du Plessis looked to be going places before he slapped a delivery from Junaid straight to mid-off, and JP Duminy gave Bhatti his first international wicket with a pulled to midwicket.
It needed David Miller’s muscle - his 19 not out came off 11 balls - and help from the licorice allsorts of the lower order to heave SA to their middling total, which marked the 21st time in 41 international innings in the format at the Wanderers that a team had reached 150.
Pakistan made a quiet start to their reply, with Ahmed Shehzad and Nasir Jamshed finding the boundary just twice in the 14 balls they faced together before Shehzad chopped an inswinger from Lonwabo Tsotsobe onto his stumps.
Jamshed and Hafeez had added 32 runs, just 12 of them in boundaries, for the second wicket when Jamshed blooped a ball from Duminy towards the off-side. The bowler dived full-length and held a fine catch.
Ten deliveries later, after a low growl and a few angry snakes of lightning issued forth from the night sky, the rain came back with Pakistan just short of where they needed to be to be declared winners.
The second match of the series will be played at Newlands on Friday
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos