RAWALPINDI: George Linde (36 and 3-31) and Corbin Bosch (4-14) played starring roles as South Africa stormed to a commanding 55-run win over Pakistan in the opening T20I of the three-match series at a jam-packed Rawalpindi Stadium on Tuesday. Pakistan’s T20 batting woes continued unabated, even on home soil, as the entire lineup folded for 139 in pursuit of a challenging 195-run target. Only Saim Ayub (37) and Mohammad Nawaz (36) offered brief resistance while the rest of the batting order failed to put up a fight. The much-anticipated return of Babar Azam ended in disappointment as he fell for a duck, deepening Pakistan’s concerns ahead of the remaining fixtures.
“I think Bosch and Hendricks deserve the Man of the Match award. Both made the difference, I just played my role in batting and bowling,” said George Linde modestly after collecting the award for his all-round brilliance.
Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha, visibly dejected, admitted the team’s repeated failures were becoming a pattern. “We managed to restrict them below 200, which was a good effort by the bowlers, but again, our batting collapsed in the middle overs. We need to learn quickly and bounce back in Lahore,” he said.
Pakistan once again failed to last the full quota of overs, exposing glaring weaknesses in their batting temperament and decision-making. Poor shot selection and lack of application saw wickets tumble in clusters, a familiar and worrying sight for the home fans.
Earlier, South Africa made a flying start, racing to 110 inside 10 overs before losing momentum in the later stages to finish at 194 for 9. Reeza Hendricks led the charge with a fluent 60 off 40 balls, laced with five boundaries and a six, while Tony De Zorzi (33) and George Linde (36) added vital contributions to propel the visitors to a competitive total.
Spinner Mohammad Nawaz (3-26) and part-timer Saim Ayub (2-31) bowled with discipline to pull Pakistan back into the contest after a brutal start by the Proteas. However, their efforts were overshadowed by Pakistan’s dismal batting response.
Pace spearheads Shaheen Shah Afridi (1-45) and Naseem Shah (1-34) struggled to find rhythm and accuracy, leaking runs freely as the Proteas’ top order punished every loose delivery.
With this emphatic victory, South Africa now lead the series 1-0 and head to Lahore brimming with confidence, while Pakistan face a stern test of character as they look to stay alive in the three-match series.