South Africa defeated Pakistan by 11 runs in a thrilling Twenty20 tournament that concluded in Kingsmead on Tuesday.
The set was won by 184, Pakistan were thwarted 172-8.
Pakistan seemed to be saving wickets for a wild ending. Opener Mohammad Rizwan’s steady but slow innings puts pressure on his partners to swing hard. Mainly they delivered. Saim Ayub scored 31 runs and Tayyab Tahir scored 18 off 18 runs.
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When Tahir left, there were five overs left and Rizwan woke up. In the 17th minute, he hit Kwena Maphaka for sixes at long off.
However, in the 18th minute, left-arm pacer George Linde beat three Pakistanis with four balls and thought he would complete the match with a hat-trick. However, Haris Rauf’s review found that the ball was missing leg stump.
Rizwan hit three boundaries in the 19th minute and surged from 36 for 44 to 74 for 61. Pakistan reached the last over needing 19 runs.
He missed the second ball, misdirected Maphaka backwards and Pakistan’s hopes died with him.
Linde’s standout performance included four wickets with the ball after hitting a 24-ball 48 to give the Proteas a healthy 183-9. South Africa’s top scorer was David Miller with a 40-ball 82.
