Saim, Faheem sparkle as Pakistan down South Africa by nine wickets to level T20 series

By Muhammad Ali

LAHORE: Opener Saim Ayub hammered a scintillating knock of 71 off 38 balls while seamer Faheem Ashraf claimed four wickets for 23 runs as Pakistan cruised to a nine wicket win over South Africa in the second Twenty20 International to level the three match series at the picturesque Gaddafi Stadium here on Friday evening.  Chasing a modest 111-run target, the home side comfortably knocked the winning runs for the loss of just one wicket and 41 balls to spare. Babar Azam was not out with 11 from 18 deliveries and became the highest run-scorer in T20 Internationals with 4,234, going beyond India’s Rohit Sharma. Pakistan got off to a flamboyant start to the pursuit, with their opening pair of Saim and Farhan putting together a brisk 54-run partnership. The opening stand was eventually broken by Corbin Bosch in the seventh over when he trapped Farhan lbw with an in-dipper. The right-handed opener scored 28 off 23 deliveries with the help of three sixes. Ayub was then joined by star batter Babar in the middle, and the duo ensured Pakistan sailed over the line without further setbacks as they registered a match-winning 64-run partnership.

Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and opted to field first, making light work of their visitors’ top order as they bowled them out for 110 in 19.2 overs.  Six of the South African batters were bowled as Pakistan found prodigious seam off the wicket, with only Dewald Brevis managing an innings of any substance with 25 from 16 deliveries. There was a cavalier nature to the batting too with no-one in the visitors’ line-up able to dig in and lay a platform. Faheem was the leading wicket-taker for Pakistan, dismissing four South African batters for just 23 runs in 3.2 overs, followed by Salman Mirza, who gave away just 14 runs in his four to pick up three wickets. Naseem Shah lent ample support with two scalps, while Abrar Ahmed chipped in with one.

Brief scores:

Pakistan 112 for 1 (Ayub 71 not out, Farhan 28 not out) beat South Africa 110 (Brevis 25, Ashraf 4-23, Mirza 3-14) by nine wickets