Pakistan edge Proteas in Faisalabad thriller to take series lead

Faisalabad had not hosted international cricket for 17 years, but Pakistan and the Proteas served up a thriller in the first ODI on Tuesday evening. The hosts ultimately crawled over the line with two wickets and two balls to spare to draw first blood in the three-match series.

Corbin Bosch had four runs to defend in the final over with Pakistan still three wickets in hand, but after removing Mohammad Nawaz with the scores level, the tension spiked further. A leg-bye off Bosch’s fourth delivery, however, was enough to see Pakistan home.

The series opener was finely poised throughout after the Proteas had set the hosts 264 on a surface that offered plenty of assistance to the slower bowlers. Both innings followed a similar pattern, with openers on each side laying a solid platform before the spinners took control.

For South Africa, debutant Lhuan-dré Pretorius (57) and Quinton de Kock (63) put on 98 for the first wicket, while Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman (45) and Saim Ayub (39) replied with an 87-run stand of their own.

Mini-collapses followed for both teams as the middle orders struggled to adjust to the sharp turn extracted by the spinners. Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed (3/53), Saim Ayub (2/39) and Mohammad Nawaz (1/45) did the damage for the hosts, before Donovan Ferreira (2/45) and Bjorn Fortuin (1/38) returned the favour for the Proteas.

Pakistan T20I captain Salman Agha (62) joined Mohammad Rizwan (55) after the Faisalabad crowd was stunned into silence by the dismissal of Babar Azam, trapped leg-before by Fortuin. The pair rebuilt steadily after three quick wickets had fallen, with Rizwan eager to prove the selectors wrong for stripping him of the ODI captaincy. Mixing aggression with application, he brought up his 17th half-century before Bosch ended his innings to break a 91-run fourth-wicket stand.

Salman Agha then found another reliable partner in Hussain Talat, the duo adding 45 runs to inch Pakistan closer to the target. But Talat’s dismissal to a Lungi Ngidi slower ball opened the door for late drama.

Ngidi struck again with a similar delivery to remove Salman Agha on the boundary with 12 runs still required, sending a wave of tension through the Pakistan dressing room. But ultimately, the Proteas were always playing catch-up, having fallen just short of posting a truly competitive total.

There were positives to take into Thursday’s second ODI, though. Pretorius impressed with a fluent half-century on debut, while De Kock’s return from his self-imposed ODI exile was also a success as he notched up his 31st fifty. Ferreira and Sinethemba Qeshile also made their ODI debuts, suggesting that, despite the defeat, South Africa’s rebuilding phase is starting to take meaningful shape.

1st ODI, Faisalabad

South Africa: 263 all out (De Kock 63, Pretorius 57, Abrar Ahmed (3/53), Saim Ayub (2/39)

Pakistan: 264/8 (Salman Agha 62, Mohammad Rizwan 55, Bosch 2/32, Ngidi 2/46)

Pakistan won by 2 wickets, lead series 1-0