Pakistan Edge South Africa in Thrilling Finish to Take 1–0 Lead

News Desk

Faisalabad: Pakistan held their nerve in a tense finish to defeat South Africa in the opening One-Day International (ODI) at Faisalabad, marking their fifth consecutive ODI win over the Proteas and the highest successful run chase ever recorded at the venue.

Despite some late drama, Shaheen Shah Afridi’s men chased down the target in the final over to give their captain a winning start to his ODI leadership.

Earlier, South Africa’s innings faltered after a steady start as they lost wickets in clusters, managing a total that captain Matthew Breetzke later admitted was “20–30 runs short.” Lhuan-dre Pretorius’ promising knock and Quinton de Kock’s return were among the few bright spots for the visitors, while Pakistan’s bowlers kept them in check with disciplined spells.

In reply, Pakistan began strongly with openers Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub putting up an 87-run stand in just over 15 overs despite early seam movement. Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha then anchored the middle overs, both scoring composed half-centuries on a pitch that offered considerable turn and reverse swing.

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Salman Agha, who was named Player of the Match, said the plan was to “play on merit and build a steady partnership” after the loss of quick wickets. He acknowledged the absence of dew made batting harder than expected but credited communication with Rizwan for keeping the chase on track.

As the finish line approached, Pakistan lost a few wickets to spark late nerves — including Nawaz’s dismissal off Corbin Bosch in the final over — before Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi saw the team home with a leg bye off the fourth ball of the 50th over.

“Nothing special, just a normal game,” captain Shaheen Afridi said with a smile after the win. “Credit to our batters — they handled the swing and turn really well. It got tense at the end, but we’ll try to avoid that drama next time.”

With just a day’s break before the second ODI, Pakistan will look to maintain momentum, while South Africa aim to regroup and keep the three-match series alive.