South Africa vs PAK 2024/25, South Africa vs PAK 1st T20 Match Report, December 10, 2024

South Africa 183 for 9 (Miller 82, Linde 48, Shaheen 3-22, Abrar 3-37) defeated Pakistan 172 for 8 from 11 runs (Rizwan 74, Ayub 31, Linde 4-21)

Didn’t play for South Africa for three years, George Linde Made up for lost time in an electric Kingsmead evening with a superb all-round performance. Pakistan, strong with 48 runs in 24 balls with the bat and 4-21 runs with the ball, had to face defeat by 11 runs. The umpire also thought he had taken a hat-trick in the last over, before a review denied him that distinction, but did not deny him his undisputed player-of-the-match award. Mohammad RizwanThe man who faced the first ball was present in the final over as his team struggled, the captain’s late strike not enough to undo the damage of a sluggish first half of the innings, where he was out for his first 44. Could score only 36 runs. delivery, even though he scored 74 off 62.

South Africa certainly went into the first T20I in Durban with a second-rate team, but it doesn’t matter when david miller It is in the same form that he got today. A brilliant 82 off 40 balls in the first innings came as a dagger for Pakistan, who believed they had made early progress when Shaheen Shah Afridi and Abrar Ahmed dismissed Rassie van der Dussen, Reeza Hendricks and Matthew Bretzke early on. Got out. But Miller ensured the runs kept flowing, and Pakistan’s spinners could not make the desired impact on Durban’s true, flat pitch, leaving Heinrich Klaasen with little hesitation to bat first.

Saim Ayub gave a great start to Pakistan despite the defeat Babar Azam He was out for a duck in the beginning, but South Africa controlled him in the middle overs. Rizwan struggled to get going and Pakistan’s inexperienced middle order could not control the asking rate at the other end. This helped South Africa take regular wickets in the middle and suddenly Pakistan was short of batsmen and overs.

17th over from an otherwise impressive 18-year-old quena mafaka Pakistan were allowed 24 runs and suddenly found themselves back in the game. Rizwan was flying by then, hitting two sixes off Mafaka and three fours off Otneil Baartman, and Pakistan suddenly found themselves in behind, needing 19 runs from the final over. But Mafaka, returning for the 20th over, top-edged Rizwan on a slower ball and the game was over as a contest. Pakistan had to pay for their generosity with the ball in the death overs and laxity with the bat early on. South Africa were clinical enough to take full advantage.

The Killer Miller Show

David Miller has earned a reputation as a master of the middle and final overs. But after the early dismissals of Shaheen and Abrar, Miller came in at number four in the inexperienced team. And for the next hour or so, he demonstrated how his timing and technique were every bit the equal of his power. Taking advantage of the start of his innings in the powerplay, he lofted Shaheen off the pads to get the go-ahead, before he smashed another four through cover.

The quality of his timing was on full display Sufiyan Muqeem Right after the powerplay. The left-arm wrist spinner tried to stay out of his arc by bowling wide off and spinning him, but the extension of Miller’s arms and strength at the end of his range made that strategy useless. He lofted it past the extra-cover boundary, where the fielder could only watch it go over his head. Two balls later Muqim tried again, but was given the same treatment and – if that’s possible – even less effort.

Miller had just started, and was ruthless against spin, hitting Abrar for three consecutive sixes in the tenth over. He cut the innings like a scythe for Pakistan; When he came on and when Shaheen finally dismissed him, he added 82 of South Africa’s 125.

Linde punishes Rizwan’s gambling

Tactics are always judged by results rather than thought processes, and Linde ensured that Rizwan’s aggressive death overs moves cost Pakistan dearly. After Miller fell and Pakistan hit two more quick blows to leave South Africa at 141 for 8, the Pakistan captain got a chance to dismiss South Africa. Shaheen, Abbas Afridi and Haris Rauf were out by the 19th over; Pakistan probably hoped that South Africa’s innings would be over by then.

But that didn’t happen, Linde managed the strike and Mafaka’s awkward boundary eased the pressure on him. This left Mookie to bowl the final over, and when Linde refused to concede a run on the first ball, his intentions were clear. Muqim missed his length on almost every one of the last five balls; Three sixes went by before Linde bowled the last ball to cow corner. But South Africa had reached 183 and Pakistan’s hopes of cleaning it up were over and buried.

Rizbar now, Rizbar forever?

The obituary of Mohammad Rizwan-Babar Azam’s opening has been written so many times that no attempt can be made to write another one. It seemed that the days of Pakistan starting with their two trusted anchors were finally over, but in a tight encounter, both of them departed while Saeem Ayub remained in the dugout. Both were looking bad and were far behind the expected pace. Babar could have fallen victim to Mafaka on the very first ball and was eventually out on the fourth ball without scoring any runs.

Ayub came on and showed why he is so powerful in the first six, his full reserves of power, sharpness and audacity on display as he blitzed through the remaining powerplay, hitting seven fours in his first 13 balls and scoring 31 runs. He is short, effective when the field spreads out, and pierces the sweeper cover on the second ball after the powerplay. However, he had led Pakistan to spectacular success and one had to wonder how much he could have added if he had been around from the start. At the death, it became clear how much each run would have mattered.

Daniel Rasool is ESPNcricinfo’s Pakistan correspondent. @danny61000

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