Pakistan vs South Africa: South Africa won by 55 runs in the 1st T20 match
Pakistan vs South Africa: Babar Azam needed just 9 runs to become the highest run-scorer in T20Is. Rohit Sharma is currently on top with 4231 runs. But Babar did not reach that milestone after taking the field after almost 10 months. Instead, he returned with a 'duck' (zero) in his comeback match.
This is Babar's first T20I since December. Naturally, there was a lot of excitement surrounding his return to the field. When the Pakistan captain announced his name in the first match of the series against South Africa in Rawalpindi, there was cheers and slogans in the gallery. But the wait to see Babar bat when he took the field was even longer.
Pakistan vs South Africa: Batting first, South Africa posted 194 for 9. Opener Reeza Hendricks scored 60 runs off 40 balls with 5 fours and 1 six, while veteran Quinton de Kock (23 off 13 balls), newcomer Tony de George (33 off 16 balls) and George Linde (36 off 22 balls) all played quick innings. Mohammad Nawaz was the most economical bowler for Pakistan, taking 3 wickets for 26 runs.
Chasing a target of 195, Pakistan started slowly. Opener Sahibzada Farhan was dismissed for 24 off 19 balls, and Babar Azam came to the crease at one down. The gallery's eyes were on him, but the comeback story turned out to be disappointing. Babar was caught by Hendricks while trying to hit the cover off Corbin Bosch's second ball. He returned to the dressing room for 0 off 2 balls.
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Pakistan vs South AfricaBabar has been dismissed for duck for the eighth time in T20 Internationals, the third most for Pakistan. He is now level with legendary Shahid Afridi's record. He is followed by Umar Akmal (10 times) and Saim Ayub (9 times).
Pakistan's batting line-up collapsed after Babar's departure. Salman (3), Saim (37), Hasan Nawaz (3), Usman Khan (12) and Faheem Ashraf (1) returned one by one. At one stage, the hosts were on the verge of defeat, losing 7 wickets for 89 runs. Nawaz put up some resistance towards the end, playing a stormy innings of 36 runs off 20 balls, with 4 fours and 2 sixes. However, Pakistan were all out for 139 runs, with 11 balls still in hand. ( Source )
For South Africa, Corbin took 4 wickets, while spinner Linde took 3. The Proteas took a 1-0 lead in the series with a big 55-run win.
Pakistan vs South Africa, Pakistan wore pink jerseys in the match as part of a breast cancer awareness program. Statistics show that South Africa usually have luck in such 'Pink Day' matches and Rawalpindi was no exception.
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