DURHAM: Having not played for South Africa for three years, George Linde made up for lost time on one electric Kingsmead evening with a stunning all-round performance. A 24-ball 48 with the bat and 4-21 with the ball battered a valiant Pakistan, who went down by 11 runs.
The umpire even thought he had a hat-trick in the penultimate over before a review denied him that glory but not his undisputed Player-of-the-Match award. Mohammad Rizwan, who faced the first ball, was there in the final over as his team went down fighting, a late attack from the captain not quite enough to undo the damage of a sluggish first half of an innings where he managed just 36 in his first 44 deliveries, even if he did finish with 74 off 62.
South Africa came into the first T20I in Durban with a decidedly second-string side, but it doesn’t matter when David Miller is in the form he found today. A majestic 40-ball 82 ran through the first innings like a dagger for Pakistan, who believed they had made early progress when Shaheen Shah Afridi and Abrar Ahmed removed Rassie van der Dussen, Reeza Hendricks and Matthew Breetzke early. But Miller ensured the runs kept flowing, and Pakistan’s spinners couldn’t have the impact they hoped for on a true, flat Durban pitch Heinrich Klaasen had little hesitation in opting to bat first on.
Saim Ayub gave Pakistan a flying start despite the loss of Babar Azam for a duck early on, but South Africa reined them in through the middle overs. Rizwan struggled to get going and Pakistan’s inexperienced middle order couldn’t keep the asking rate in check from the other end. It allowed South Africa to get tidy overs in through the middle while picking up regular wickets, and all of a sudden Pakistan were running out of batters and overs.
An errant 17th over from the otherwise impressive 18-year-old Kwena Maphakaallowed Pakistan 24 runs, and they suddenly found themselves back in the game. Rizwan was flying by then, smashing two sixes off Maphaka and three fours off Ottneil Baartman, and Pakistan had suddenly dragged themselves back in, needing 19 off the final over. But Maphaka, who returned for the 20th over, had Rizwan top-edging a slower ball, and the game was over as a contest. Pakistan had paid for their generosity with the ball at the death, and tardiness with the bat early on. South Africa were clinical enough to take full advantage.
