Pakistan vs South Africa Highlights, 1st T20I: Corbin Bosch, George Linde Lead SA To Dominant 55-Run Victory

South Africa XI: Quinton de Kock(w), Reeza Hendricks, Tony de Zorzi, Dewald Brevis, Matthew Breetzke, Donovan Ferreira(c), George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Lizaad Williams, Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi

Pakistan XI: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Salman Agha(c), Usman Khan(w), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed

Welcome to the live coverage of the 1st T20I between Pakistan and South Africa. Stay tuned for the build-up, head-to-head, pitch report, weather report, toss update and live scores from the match.

Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson confirmed yesterday that Babar Azam will slot into his most preferred position at number 3. Babar has replaced the explosive Fakhar Zaman, who has taken a break from T20Is to focus on domestic cricket.

Babar Azam needs 8 runs to match Rohit Sharma and anything more than that to become the leading run-scorer in Men's T20 Internationals.

The weather tonight in Rawalpindi looks excellent for a full game. There no chances of rain. A clear to hazy sky will remain throughout the evening. Temperatures will be cool and comfortable for the players and spectators, sitting around 22 degree Celsius to 24 degree Celsius during the main hours of play. No interruptions due to weather are expected.

The surface in Rawalpindi is known for it's batting friendly nature with bowlers getting a bit of swing early on in the innings. The highest first innings total in this pitch is 193, scored by Pakistan back in 2023. Nonetheless, it will be a good toss to win for either sides.

Salman Ali Agha has won the toss and Pakistan will bowl first against South Africa in Rawalpindi.

Matches played - 24

Pakistan Wins - 12

South Africa Wins - 12

We are all set for action in Pindi! The crowd is buzzing despite it being a working day. Reeza Hendricks and Quinton de Kock stride out to open for South Africa. Shaheen Afridi takes the new ball, energy high, crowd louder. Here we go!

Great over by Shaheen Afridi as usual. The early movement was troubling the SA openers. However, they survived the threat in the first over without scoring a boundary.

15 runs from this over from Shaheen Afridi and Quinton de Kock showing why he's back from the retirement. Three overs gone, and this surface looks tailor-made for batting, true bounce and plenty of pace. Pakistan makes an early change as Saim Ayub replaces Naseem Shah to bowl some spin.

Saim Ayub strikes in his very first over and shows why he's the no. 1 T20I all-rounder in the world currently. De Kock goes for an expansive drive but slices it straight to Faheem Ashraf at cover-point. A sharp catch ends a promising start, South Africa lose its first wicket inside the powerplay.

What a great start by the Proteas. Even after losing de Kock in the 4th over, they continued to attack. Tony de Zorzi has been striking so well with 25 runs off only 11 balls. Last over of the powerplay provided 16 runs to the South African team and Naseem Shah has already conceded 29 runs in his 2 overs.

Another big over for South Africa, 15 runs off Salman Agha, the skipper trying to lead from the front... just not in the way he intended! De Zorzi and Hendricks are batting like they’ve mistaken this for a six-hitting contest, both cruising at strike rates over 200. Not a great sign for the Pakistani bowlers. They desparately need a breakthrough.

Mohammad Nawaz provides a much-need breakthrough. de Zorzi charges down the track far too early, and the wily spinner spots it in time, firing it wider. Usman Khan whips off the bails in a flash. De Zorzi walks back after a fiery 33 off 16, clever bowling, sharp keeping.

Dewald Brevis walks out with clear intent, the message from the dugout seems simple: No time for singles. He wastes no time, smashing a six off his fourth ball to put the pressure right back on Pakistan.

Nawaz strikes again! Brevis goes for an ambitious drive but is beaten by the drift and turn, the ball sneaks through and crashes into the stumps. A short, fiery cameo ends abruptly. Brevis departs for just 9.

Matthew Breetzke comes to the crease, while Hendricks keeping one end safe, playing on 40 off 23.

And it's time for the drinks too.

Saim Ayub does it again. that golden arm must have a Midas touch! Breetzke thought he had a freebie to put away, but ends up gifting a catch straight to Nawaz. Pakistan celebrating, few quick wickets for them, thanks to the spinners. Breetzke goes for just 1.

Reeza Hendricks brings up a composed fifty off 33 balls. He started aggressively but slowed down after watching the collapse at the other end, someone had to keep the innings steady, after all. He did his job pretty well. However, the job is not done yet.

Nawaz finishes his spell in style! A quicker one that skids on and sneaks through Ferreira’s defence to rattle the stumps. A sharp, clever delivery, and Nawaz walks away with a well-deserved three-for!

Just seven runs off Abrar’s over, the wickets have definitely thrown a speed breaker on South Africa’s innings. Hendricks, though, is still holding firm on 60, probably wondering if anyone plans to stick around long enough to help him push past 180.

Not a good day for Shaheen. He's conceded 18 runs in this over and too from a new batter on the crease, George Linde. SA are back on track, surely not a favourable surface for the pacers.

South Africa will be disappointed that they have not crossed 200-runs in Rawalpindi. Their batters did well to score aplenty in Rawalpindi but the PAK bowlers have done incredibly well to restrict them under the 200-run barrier.

RSA

194-9(20)

The conditions are typical of Pindi, the ball is gripping a bit for the spinners, there’s a bit of dew now so that grip might not be there going ahead. We have to assess the situation and what the batter is trying to do and bowl accordingly. I have worked on my batting, the team requires an all-rounder so I try to give my best with both bat and ball. The dew is coming in and the ball is coming onto the bat, we need one or two big partnerships to chase this total down.

After a silent first over, Sahibzada Farhan took the matter in his hands and smashed three boundaries in the second over bowled by Lungi Ngidi. 13 runs from the over and a perfect start for the hosts.

Saim Ayub’s struggles continue, a pattern that haunted him during the Asia Cup too. He has faced 9 balls so far and is yet to find the boundary.

Lizaad Williams knocks over Sahibzada Farhan with a beauty. A quick, skiddy delivery that sneaks through as Farhan looks to cut, timber everywhere. Williams pulls out a LeBron-style celebration, right in Farhan’s face. The pressure had been building with Saim Ayub’s slow start at the other end, and it finally tells. Farhan goes for 23.

Babar Azam comes to the crease.

Huge moment early on! Babar Azam departs for a duck, and the crowd goes silent. Corbin Bosch hits the deck hard, gets extra pace, and Babar’s mistimed shot flies straight to Reeza Hendricks at cover. His comeback didn't last long.

Another one bites the dust! Corbin Bosch traps Salman Agha plumb in front, no doubts this time. Agha tries the same shuffle across, misses completely, and the ball thuds into his front thigh. He goes upstairs in hope, but it’s three reds flashing on the screen. Agha goes for just 2.

Saim Ayub seems to have finally found his groove, two crisp sixes off Linde to lift Pakistan’s spirits! The tension’s still there, but the timing looks much better now. Usman Khan is settling in quietly, building the partnership with patience. Pakistan still need 125 off 10 overs with 7 wickets in hand.

Time for drinks.

Linde has his revenge! After being hit for two sixes earlier, he gets Saim Ayub with a clever, flighted delivery outside off. Ayub leans in for an ambitious drive but isn’t quite to the pitch of it, ends up chipping it tamely to extra cover where Ferreira takes a simple catch. Ayub goes for 37.

Ngidi strikes! Hasan Nawaz goes for a wild heave across the line, but the ball sneaks under his bat and clatters into middle-stump. A poor shot on a good ball, and Pakistan’s woes deepen! That swing looked like it belonged in baseball, not cricket. Nawaz goes for 3.

Brilliant work from Linde, that’s smart, calculated bowling! He must’ve seen Usman Khan itching to dance down the track and adjusted perfectly, pulling his length back with some extra bounce and turn. Usman was left stranded miles away from the pitch, completely beaten by the flight. De Kock does the rest behind the stumps, whipping off the bails in a flash. Pakistan’s troubles deepen

Another one bites the dust! Linde’s on fire as he gets his third wicket. Faheem Ashraf goes for the reverse sweep but ends up reversing his fortune instead, a simple catch for Williams at backward point. Pakistan now seven down, and the dugout looks more tense than a final exam hall. The chase is slipping away quicker than a bar of soap in the shower.

Shaheen Afridi’s brief stay comes to an end! Corbin Bosch hits that hard length again, right into Shaheen’s discomfort zone. The left-hander goes for a wild swing across the line but ends up popping it straight back to the bowler. Bosch barely has to move as he takes the simplest of return catches. Shaheen stares at his bat in disbelief, but that won’t change the scoreboard, Pakistan now eight down, and this chase is unraveling fast.

Gone, Naseem Shah departs too and its the fourth wicket for Corbin Bosch. There was no room for a cut short and Naseem could only managed an outside-edge and de Kock grabs it safely. It's safe to say that, Mohammad Nawaz is the only batter who showed intent to score runs today for Pakistan. After a tremendous bowling effort, the all-rounder is contributing with the bat as well, however it isn't enought as the hosts need 71 runs off 18 balls.

And that’s another one gone! Nawaz tries to go big but ends up finding Corbin Bosch, who, fittingly, has been in the thick of everything tonight. Williams delivers a full one on middle and leg, and Nawaz attempts a shovel over long-on but doesn’t get the distance. Bosch positions himself perfectly under it and takes an easy reverse-cup catch.

A big win for the Proteas, they beat PAK by 55 runs and become the first team to win a T20I batting first in Pindi. Their pace attack, led by Corbin Bosch, Lizaad Williams, and Lungi Ngidi, dismantled Pakistan’s batting with fiery precision.

Babar’s duck on return, Ayub’s scratchy knock, and a late Nawaz cameo couldn’t change the inevitable. The Proteas simply outclassed the hosts, showing exactly how to bowl on this wicket. A statement win for South Africa; Pakistan left searching for answers.

Pakistan’s old nemesis strikes again, dot balls. Despite all the talk of “aggressive intent,” the inability to rotate strike choked their chase to death. Still, Mohammad Nawaz deserves applause, a four-wicket haul and a spirited 36 kept a flicker of hope alive in an otherwise bleak outing. His all-round effort was the lone silver lining in yet another tale of squandered momentum.

Let’s hope Pakistan turns things around in the 2nd T20I on October 31, fewer collapses, more composure, and maybe give the crowd something to actually cheer for this time.

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