Pakistan held their nerve to secure a narrow two-wicket win against South Africa in the series-opening ODI at the Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, chasing down 264 with two balls remaining. The hard-fought win marked a successful start for Shaheen Shah Afridi in his first ODI as Pakistan captain.
Proteas set a competitive total despite losing momentum
Shaheen opted to bowl first on a wicket offering some early movement. South Africa’s opening duo — Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Quinton de Kock — showcased attacking strokes to post a 98-run partnership in 16 overs. Pretorius scored a fluent 57 before falling to Saim Ayub, while De Kock continued similarly, making 63 off 71.
Tony de Zorzi and Sinethemba Qeshile contributed starts, but couldn’t convert them into match-defining knocks. Stand-in skipper Matthew Breetzke (42 off 54) kept South Africa afloat before Corbin Bosch accelerated later in the innings with a valuable 41 from 40 balls.
“𝑵𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒎 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒉’𝒔 𝒕𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉-𝒃𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒌𝒆𝒑𝒕 𝑷𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝒄𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔.”
South Africa eventually folded for 264 in 49.1 overs, with Naseem Shah returning a brilliant 3/40.
Pakistan stumbles but gets the job done late
Pakistan’s openers Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub handled the new ball well, stitching 87 runs for the first wicket. However, both were dismissed in quick succession — Ayub for 39 and Zaman for 45 — shifting the momentum back to the visitors. Babar Azam’s brief stay added to the tension for the home crowd.
From there, Mohammad Rizwan (55) and Salman Agha (62) played a smart blend of caution and rotation, anchoring a 91-run stand that rebuilt the chase.
“𝑾𝒆 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒎 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑,” 𝑺𝒂𝒍𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉-𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆.
The game went down to the wire as Pakistan lost wickets in a heap late on. With two balls left and just one run required, a nervy leg bye sealed the win for Pakistan — giving the hosts a 1-0 lead in the series.
Top Performances — Bat and Ball
Salman Agha — Player of the Match
- 62 (71), 5 fours, 1 six
- Held the innings together through the middle overs
- Played with aggression when needed
Naseem Shah’s bowling control
- 3/40 in 9.1 overs
- Excellent execution at the death
- His effort ensured South Africa couldn’t reach a bigger total.
Records and Milestones
- Pakistan registers its fifth straight ODI win over South Africa
- Highest successful ODI chase at Faisalabad
- Shaheen Afridi starts ODI captaincy tenure with a victory
What’s next?
The two teams will meet again for the 2nd ODI on Thursday, November 6, at the same venue — Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad. Pakistan will aim to seal the series, while South Africa will look to bounce back quickly.
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