In the first ODI played in Faisalabad, Pakistan defeated South Africa by two wickets in a thrilling encounter. Salman Ali Agha's gritty innings in the final overs played a crucial role in securing the team's victory.
Sports News: The Pakistan cricket team has taken a lead in the three-match ODI series by registering a thrilling two-wicket victory over South Africa in the first encounter. The match went down to the wire, with Salman Ali Agha's brilliant innings and Mohammad Rizwan's responsible batting guiding Pakistan to victory.
In this match played at Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad, the South African team, batting first, was all out for 263 runs in 49.1 overs. In reply, Pakistan chased down the target by scoring 264/8 runs in 49.4 overs, taking a 1-0 lead in the series.
Salman Ali Agha Becomes the Hero of Victory
Salman Ali Agha (62 runs, 71 balls), the architect of Pakistan's victory, displayed brilliant batting under difficult circumstances, steadying the team. He scored his runs with the help of five fours and one six, pulling the team out of trouble. Besides him, Mohammad Rizwan also played a responsible innings of 55 runs off 74 balls. An important 91-run partnership for the fourth wicket between the two laid the foundation for Pakistan's victory.
Chasing the target, Pakistan got off to a brilliant start with the opening pair of Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub. They added 87 runs for the first wicket. Ayub scored 39 runs off 42 balls, while Fakhar Zaman played an innings of 45 runs. However, after both were dismissed, captain Babar Azam once again failed, getting out for just 7 runs. Following this, Rizwan and Salman stabilized the innings.
Just when it seemed Pakistan would easily win the match, Lungi Ngidi brought South Africa back into contention by taking two consecutive wickets. He first dismissed Hussain Talat (22) and then Salman Ali Agha, putting Pakistan under pressure.
Match Decided in the Final Over
The match came down to the final two overs. Pakistan needed 12 runs to win. In this tense situation, Mohammad Nawaz (9 runs) and captain Shaheen Shah Afridi (4 runs not out) showed composure, guiding the team to victory with two balls to spare. With this win, Pakistan has taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, and their goal now will be to win the second ODI and clinch the series.
South Africa's Batting – Good Start, But Middle Order Failed
After losing the toss and batting first, the South African team established a b opening partnership, but the middle-order batsmen kept getting dismissed. Quinton de Kock scored 63 runs off 71 balls, including 6 fours and 2 sixes. Luhan de Pretorius also played a steady innings of 57 runs off 60 balls.
However, after the dismissal of both these players, the African batting lineup faltered. Captain Matthew Breetzke tried to steady the team with an innings of 42 runs, but he too couldn't last long. The remaining batsmen, such as Sinethemba Qeshile (22), Donovan Ferreira (3), and George Linde (2), failed to play significant innings, and the team was restricted to 263.
