WEB DESK: Pakistan beat South Africa in the first ODI of the three-match series at the Boland Park in Paarl on Wednesday. South Africa won the toss and chose to bat first, setting a target of 240 runs for the visitors.
South Africa managed to score 239 runs in their allotted 50 overs, losing 9 wickets. The standout performance came from Heinrich Klaasen, who scored 86 runs, including 2 sixes and 7 fours.
Ryan Rickelton contributed 36, Aiden Markram made 35, and Tony de Zorzi added 33 runs. Marco Jansen and Wayne Parnell were dismissed for 10 and 8 runs, respectively, while Tristan Stubbs and Andile Phehlukwayo could only manage one run each.
Pakistan batted out the last over to chase down the total and finished at 240/7.
Pakistan had delivered a thrilling performance in the first one-day international match against South Africa. Chasing a 240-run victory target, the gallant performance came from its cricket bowlers, with Salman Ali Agha dominating by picking up four wickets, while Abrar Ahmed took two and Shaheen Afridi and Saim Ayub finished with a wicket each.
Pakistan’s innings started on a shaky note while chasing the target. Abdullah Shafique was out for no score, while captain Babar Azam followed suit, scoring just 23 runs; Mohammad Rizwan and Kamran Ghulam also failed to make any impression, leaving Pakistan precariously placed at 36 for 4.
However, the opener got a very terrific knock and built a great partnership with Agha Salman. Ayub made his second ODI hundred by adding a fabulous 109 runs before being sent off while the team total read 201. This innings is truly a shining light as it lights up the resilience within him, as it directly holds up the fortune of Pakistan.
Saim Ayub departed, and Irfan Khan and Shaheen Afridi did not add many runs, but Agha Salman still held the fort. Along with Naseem Shah, Salman took Pakistan to victory after ending the innings with an unassailable score of 82 runs. Naseem Shah remained not out at 9, sealing the victory for Pakistan in the final over.
Agha Salman was named the Player of the Match for his marvelous all-round performance.
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