Riding on a 63-ball 117 from Reeza Hendricks, South Africa clinched the three-match T20I series against Pakistan with one game to go.
Pakistan had set a stiff 200-plus target for the hosts, but Hendricks and Co. made light work of the chase against a potent bowling attack. They had lost two wickets inside the PowerPlay losing both Ryan Rickelton and Matthew Breetzke to Jahandad Khan. That, however, did not deter South Africa as they powered on through a 157-run stand between Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen for the third wicket. Hendricks was the aggressor in this partnership and brought up his maiden T20I ton in the process. For Pakistan, only Abrar Ahmed was on the less-expensive side , conceding only 29 in his quota of overs. By the time Hendricks was dismissed by Abbas Afridi in the 18th over, South Africa were well on course to victory. Van der Dussen’s unbeaten 66 ensured that they got over the line without any hiccups.
Earlier, Pakistan had similarly rode on the expertise of their young opener Saim Ayub in posing a good total. After the early departure of Mohammad Rizwan, Ayub stitched together an 87-run stand with Babar Azam for the second wicket. Pakistan slipped up in the middle overs losing three wickets in as many overs but Ayub stayed on and ensured that Pakistan had a strong finish. Cameos from Irfan Khan and Abbas Afridi helped Pakistan’s cause but eventually it did not prove to be enough.
Brief Scores: Pakistan 206/5 in 20 overs (Saim Ayub 98, Irfan Khan 30; Dayyaan Galiem 2-21) lost to South Africa 210/3 in 19.3 overs (Reeza Hendricks 117, Rassie van der Dussen 66; Jahandad Khan 2-40) by 7 wickets
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