Riza Hendricks’ half-century, Corbin Bosch’s career-best bowling, and George Linde’s all-round brilliance powered South Africa to a commanding win over Pakistan, giving the Proteas an early lead in the T20 series.
Babar Azam’s much-anticipated return ended in disappointment. The former captain faced just two balls before edging a catch to cover for a duck. The Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium fell silent. And on the night of his failed comeback, Pakistan too faltered.
Riding on Hendricks’ fifty, Bosch’s sensational spell, and Linde’s all-round heroics, South Africa took the series lead with a dominant 55-run win in the opening T20 on Tuesday. After posting 194 runs, the visitors bowled out Pakistan for 139.
Missing stars like Aiden Markram, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton, Kagiso Rabada, and Marco Jansen, the second-string South African side still produced a commanding performance.
It was also a record-breaking night — South Africa became the first team to win a T20 International at this venue after batting first. Previously, six of eight completed games here were won by teams chasing.
On a batting-friendly surface, South Africa looked set for a total close to 220 or 230. They reached 74 for 1 in the Powerplay and 111 for 3 after 10 overs. Pakistan pulled things back in the final overs to keep the target below 200, but their batting collapsed completely.
Saim Ayub, who was dropped early on zero, went on to score a team-high 37.
Bosch was the standout with the ball, taking 4 wickets for just 14 runs in four overs — his best-ever T20I figures, surpassing his previous 3 for 20.
Linde, the left-arm spinning all-rounder, claimed the Player of the Match award after contributing 36 runs off 22 balls and taking 3 wickets for 31 in his three overs.
Hendricks anchored the innings with 60 off 40 balls, hitting five fours and a six.
After losing the toss, South Africa made a flying start through Hendricks and Quinton de Kock. Saim Ayub broke the opening stand of 44 in the fourth over, dismissing de Kock for 23 off 13 balls (5 fours).
Debutant Tony de Giorgi impressed with an aggressive knock, taking South Africa to 89 for 1 after seven overs. He tried to attack Mohammad Nawaz in the eighth over but was stumped for 33 off 16 balls (5 fours, 1 six).
South Africa then lost wickets in quick succession — Dewald Brevis hit one six before departing, Matthew Breetzke fell cheaply, and stand-in captain Donovan Ferreira couldn’t make an impact either.
Hendricks reached his fifty off 33 balls and shared a crucial 39-run stand in 21 balls with Linde for the sixth wicket. Both fell near the end, and South Africa managed just 11 runs while losing three wickets in the last two overs.
Mohammad Nawaz was Pakistan’s best bowler, finishing with 3 for 26 from four overs.
In reply, Saim Ayub was almost out for a duck again — it would have been his fifth in eight innings — but Breetzke dropped him in the first over. Sahibzada Farhan then hit three fours off Lungi Ngidi in the second over.
Williams broke the 31-run opening stand by dismissing Farhan (24 off 19), and in the next over, Bosch removed Babar Azam for a duck with a simple catch at cover.
It was Babar’s first match for Pakistan since December 2024, after being dropped due to his low strike rate. Bosch struck again in his next over to dismiss captain Salman Ali Agha.
Saim Ayub, who looked set after his early reprieve, fell for 37 (28) to a loose shot off Linde in the 11th over. Pakistan kept losing wickets at regular intervals, with Mohammad Nawaz’s quick-fire 36 off 20 (4 fours, 2 sixes) merely reducing the margin of defeat.
The second T20 of the three-match series will be played in Lahore on Friday.
Match Summary
- South Africa: 194/9 in 20 overs (Hendricks 60, De Kock 23, De Giorgi 33, Linde 36, Bosch 7; Nawaz 3/26, Saim 2/31)
- Pakistan: 139 in 18.1 overs (Saim 37, Nawaz 36; Bosch 4/14, Linde 3/31, Williams 2/21)
Result: South Africa won by 55 runs
Series: South Africa lead 1–0
Player of the Match: George Linde
