PAKISTAN’S T20 skipper Mohammad Hafeez tore apart the South African bowlers when the two sides clashed in their only T20 encounter in Centurion on Saturday.
AND IT CAME TO PASS: Pakistan batsman Mohammad Hafeez sees the ball go through to Proteas wickekeeper, AB de Villiers duirng his innings of 86 during the second Twenty20 international played at SuperSport Park yesterday. Pakistan won the match by 95 runs and the series 1-0 Picture: GALLO IMAGES
Pakistan set a formidable target of 196 after winning the toss and opting to bat first.
After a dismal Test series, Hafeez saw the ball like a tennis ball and walloped some shots resembling tennis slams for his brilliant 86 off 51 balls.
His innings, which included nine fours and four sixes, came to an unfortunate end when he smashed Rory Kleinveldt for another four but his back foot slid onto his stumps and dislodged the bails.
Pakistan started with aggression and had the run rate at 9.9 after the first 10 overs.
The opening pair of Nasir Jamshed and Ahmed Shehzad set the pace with the latter smacking two sixes before he was run out for 46.
He faced 25 deliveries and also hit six fours.
The wicket brought Hafeez to the crease but it had no effect on the team’s momentum.
Hafeez reached his half-century off 30 balls and achieved his highest T20 score – his previous being 71 against Zimbabwe in Harare.
He also became the first Pakistan batsman to reach the milestone of 1000 T20 runs.
SA skipper Faf du Plessis tried all his bowlers and had to call on his ‘death’ bowlers midway through the innings.
Lonwabo Tsotsobe, who took one wicket for eight runs off his first two overs, came back in the ninth over to try and peg down the batsmen but to no avail.
Once Hafeez departed, at 170 for four in the 17th over, the visitors could not finish off the innings in quite the same fashion they had started and ended on 195 for seven wickets in their 20 overs.
Kleinveldt picked up two wickets for 27 and Chris Morris two for 35.
The 100 all out is the lowest score by South Africa in a Twenty20 international, beating the 114 they scored against Australia a few seasons back.
Rob
March 4, 2013
South Africa wallops Pakistan in the Test Series and a few days later receives their own medicine in T20. And if anyone says that this wasn’t South Africa’s strongest one day side then why on earth did they not pick the best side when they knew that this was the series decider? Cricket is dodge!
The Cricket Blog
March 4, 2013
This match was absolutely shambolic! The selectors messed up big time!
South Africa has some of the best players in the world, yet only ONE of them played!
Our Test Team would have hammered Pakistan in the T20.