Match Details

PAK vs SA 1st T20, SA vs PAK 2021

166-620.0

Pakistan won by 3 runs

PAK

20.0169-6

Match info

Live

Scorecard

Player of the Match

Mohammad Rizwan

Pakistan

104(64)

SA - 2nd Innings

Session	Open	PASS
6 Over	45	51
10 Over	81	66
15 Over	108	114

PAK - 1st Innings

Session	Open	PASS
6 Over	49	45
10 Over	76	71
15 Over	116	123
20 Over	176	169

Commentary

Sourya: So Pakistan scrape through after a scare in a classic here and the South Africans have shown they are here to fight. It is time for me, Sourya Chowdhury, to sign off along with my fellow commentators Nikhil Kulkarni and Arijit Kundu. Good night.

Here is what Usman Qadir said "I wanted to bowl dot balls and put pressure on the batsmen. There was some dew on the surface, but we did manage to keep the run-rate down. I was told to bowl slower through the air not to push through and that's exactly what I managed to do."

Sourya: It did go down to the last over and South Africa were in it till the end, but in the end, the home team bowlers Fahim Ashram, Shaheen Afridi and co. managed to defend the runs their batsmen had put up on the board to go up 1-0 in the series.

Sourya: For a while, Janneman Malan, who opened the batting, was making it look easy and helping South Africa cruise with his power hitting, but then leggie Usman Qadir, son of the legendary Abdul, bowled a peach to get his bowled. His opening partner Reeza Hendricks hit a half century and was there for a long time but got into a mess and run out at absolutely the wrong moment as South Africa began falling behind in the chase. The run-out was effected by great work from the centurion keeper Rizwan

Sourya: With talisman Babar Azam out through a great run out by the bowler Fortuin, that innings by Rizwan was necessary to say the least. He became the second Pakistani after Ahmed Shehzad to score a T20I century and took Pakistan to a very competitive 169/6. Some others got starts but never kicked on. For the greenhorn visitors, chinaman Tabraiz Shamsi was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 1/20. Phehlukwayo also got two wickets but they did conceed more than they would have liked.

Sourya: Sent in to bat, the hosts were powered by a stylish and responsible innings by opener Mohammed Rizwan who hit 104 of 64 deliveries, an innings studded with 7 sixes. Some of those sixes were both audacious and aesthetic as he mixed power and brilliant hand eye coordination to really accelerate in the second half of the innings following a cautious start.

Sourya: This was a classic T20 humdinger that went down to the wire, literally. South Africa needed 6 off the last ball, with Bjorn Fortuin having hit a clever ramp shot to the boundary off the penultimate ball to keep them in the chase. In the end though, he just couldn't clear the ropes as Pakistan got home by three runs in the first T20I here in Lahore.

OVER 20.0

South Africa

166/6

Bjorn Fortuin

17(9)

Dwaine Pretorius

15(6)

Faheem Ashraf

1-37(3.0)

19.6 Faheem Ashraf to Bjorn Fortuin

2 FOUR!!! South Africa fall short!!! Full length ball down the leg side and the Fortuin smashes it to deep square leg but will get only 2 runs. The fielder does well to intercept it and keep it to just 2 runs. Pakistan win the 1st T20!!!

Arijit: Six of the last ball is what is required!!! So we have headed to a last ball thriller here at the Gaddafi

19.5 Faheem Ashraf to Bjorn Fortuin

4 FOUR!!!! What a shot!!! Moves across to this full length ball and scoops it between the keeper and short fine leg fielder. 6 needed off the last ball

Sourya: Great shot for sure. But is it a bit too late? The game is till alive though.

19.4 Faheem Ashraf to Dwaine Pretorius

1 Full length ball outside off, smashes it to long off but will get only a single. 10 needed off 2 balls!!!

19.3 Faheem Ashraf to Dwaine Pretorius

6 SIX!!! Full length ball on the leg stump and It's pure timing on this!! Just stays in the crease and flicks it over the long on boundary

Arijit: The green and gold are in desperate need of an over boundary now

19.2 Faheem Ashraf to Bjorn Fortuin

1 Yorker just little away from the leg stump and Fortuin manages to jam that one away and takes a single.

19.1 Faheem Ashraf to Dwaine Pretorius

1 Full length ball at the stumps, makes room and smashes it to the fielder at long off but will get only a single

OVER 19.0

South Africa

151/6

Bjorn Fortuin

10(6)

Dwaine Pretorius

7(3)

Shaheen Afridi

0-37(4.0)

18.6 Shaheen Afridi to Bjorn Fortuin

2 Full length ball outside off and Fortuin slashes hard at it to deep point. The fielder fumbles and fumbles before pulling it back!! 19 needed off 6 balls

18.5 Shaheen Afridi to Bjorn Fortuin

4 FOUR!!! What an yorker!!! Fires an yorker on the off stump and the batsman moves and gets his bat down. Gets an edge and the ball races away to the boundary