Babar Azam departs for duck on T20I-return after 10 months:South Africa beats Pakistan by 55 runs, taking 1-0 lead in the series

In the first T20I match played in Rawalpindi, South Africa defeated Pakistan by 55 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Batting first, South Africa scored 194 runs for the loss of 9 wickets. In reply, Pakistan’s team was bowled out for 139 runs in just 18.1 overs, in which Babar Azam got out for zero after facing just two deliveries. With the latest victory, South Africa became the first foreign team to register a win while batting first in Rawalpindi. Reeza Hendricks (60 runs) and Corbin Bosch (4 wickets) played a crucial role in the team’s victory. Babar Azam got out on zero Chasing a target of 195 runs, Pakistan did not get off to a good start. Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub added 31 runs for the first wicket, but after that, the team kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Captain Babar Azam was out for a duck after playing just 2 balls. This match marked Babar’s return to the T20 team after almost a year. Saim Ayub scored the most runs for the team. He played an innings of 37 runs off 28 balls. Mohammad Nawaz added 36 runs off 20 balls, but the rest of the batsmen failed and the entire Pakistan team was bowled out for 139 runs in 18.1 overs. South Africa scored a whopping 74 runs in the power play Winning the toss, Pakistan’s captain decided to field first. South Africa had a brilliant start. Openers Reeza Hendricks and Quinton de Kock added 44 runs for the first wicket. The team completed 50 runs in just 28 balls and scored 74 runs for the loss of one wicket in the power play. South Africa reached the 100-run mark in 54 balls. Reeza Hendricks played an excellent knock, completing his half-century in just 33 balls and scoring 60 runs off 40 balls. Meanwhile, Tony de Zorzi quickly scored 33 runs off 16 balls. Finally, George Linde played a quick innings of 36 runs off 22 balls, taking the team’s score to 194 runs for 9 wickets in 20 overs. Average performance from Pakistani bowlers Mohammad Nawaz was the most successful bowler for Pakistan. He took 3 wickets for 26 runs in 4 overs. Saim Ayub took 2 wickets for 31 runs in 4 overs. Meanwhile, Abrar Ahmed, Naseem Shah, and Shaheen Shah Afridi each got 1 wicket. Corbin Bosch took four wickets South African bowlers put in a brilliant performance. Corbin Bosch took 4 wickets, while George Linde bagged 3 wickets. Lizaad Williams took 2 wickets and Lungi Ngidi took 1 wicket, wrapping up Pakistan’s innings.