Pakistan win first ODI courtesy Ayub's ton, Agha's all-round performance

Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha led Pakistan to victory after a sensational innings in the first ODI of the three-match series held at Boland Park, Paarl on Wednesday.

Ayub displayed a good batting show with a 109-run knock with the help of ten boundaries and three sixes. Salman Ali Agha resisted and piled up 82 runs off 90 balls with four boundaries and two sixes, guiding Pakistan to win by three wickets with three balls remaining.

Irfan Khan Niazi and Mohammad Rizwan could hit only one run each while Abdullah Shafique and Shaheen Afridi left the crease without scoring any runs.

The only player who entered double-digit after Ayub and Agha was Babar Azam, who scored 23 runs off 38 deliveries with three boundaries.

Kamran Ghulam could hit 4 runs before he was run out.

Playing first after winning the toss, the hosts posted a 240-run target in their allotted 50 overs with the help of Heinrich Klaasen's 86 after Agha took four wickets.

The home side accumulated 239/9 thanks to an important fifth-wicket partnership between Klaasen and skipper Aiden Markram.

The hosts got off to a flying start to their innings with openers Ryan Rickelton and Tony de Zorzi adding 70 runs for the first wicket inside 10 overs.

All-rounder Salman Ali Agha then turned the tide in Pakistan’s favour by taking four wickets in quick succession and reduced South Africa to 88/4 in 13.4 overs.

Following the slump, wicketkeeper batter Klaasen joined Markram in the middle and together they raised an astounding recovery.

The duo batted sensibly against a momentum-filled Pakistan’s bowling attack to add 73 runs for the fifth-wicket partnership.

The budding partnership culminated with Markram’s dismissal off Saim Ayub in the 32nd over. The skipper scored a cautious 35 off 54 balls and hit only one boundary.

Meanwhile, Klaasen then put together one-sided partnerships with Marco Jansen (10) and Andile Phehlukwayo (one) before Shaheen Shah Afridi drew curtains on his gritty knock in the 45th over.

He remained the top-scorer for South Africa with an anchoring 86 off 97 deliveries, laced with seven fours and two sixes.

Tailender Kagiso Rabada and Ottneil Baartman then added valuable runs at the backend, scoring 11 and 10 not out, respectively.

Agha led Pakistan’s bowling charge with 4/32 in his four overs, followed by Abrar Ahmed with two wickets, while Shaheen and Saim bagged one apiece.

PLAYING XIs

Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (C/WK), Kamran Ghulam, Salman Ali Agha, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed

South Africa: Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram(C), Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen(wk), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Ottneil Baartman, Tabraiz Shamsi