South Africa 210 for 3 (Hendricks 117, van der Dussen 66*, Jahandad 2-40) beaten Pakistan 206 for 5 (Ayub 98*, Azam 31, Irfan 30, Galiem 2-21) by five wickets
Pakistan were guilty of over-reliance on the slower ball, which they bowled liberally, but that may not be where they lost the game. Even though they exceeded 200, they could have had many more. They were 103 for 1 after 11 overs and 136 for 4 after 16.
It wasn’t enough thanks to Hendricks and van der Dussen, two older men, who took South Africa home.
The beginnings of Dayyaan’s dream (and nightmare)
Galiem had planned to attend this match, but did not play. He had tickets to the hospitality suite and was supposed to be sitting with his national teammates to enjoy the start of the December break with a few drinks, but on his way home from the gym this week he received a call he wasn’t expecting . Anrich Nortje broke his left big toe and Galiem was called up to the national team. He made his debut on his field and then handed over the new ball.
His first over cost just three points. It’s up to Klaasen to answer exactly why he didn’t play another one on the power play, but in that span he dropped Ayub on 3, which proved costly. He was brought down in the seventh and made a length error with a short, wide ball, but got away again. In his third over, Galiem got his first international wicket when Usman Khan edged him to Kwena Maphaka at third over, but his moment came in his final over. It was only the second time he had bowled in a row and Tayyab Tahir brought him a leading edge and Galiem took a clean catch. That wouldn’t have made up for his earlier failure, but it gave him good figures of 2 for 21 in four overs, with 12 dot balls, in his first international outing. But that was not the end of Galiem. He was at his end when Ayub hit Donovan Ferreira almost directly on him. Galiem found himself in an awkward position and the ball slipped out of his hands.
Saim sensational but he would have wanted two more
Pakistan have separated RizBar as they continue to experiment with their opening combination and Ayub has made a case for continuing in that role. He scored three runs off the first eight balls he faced before sending a Ferreira delivery to debutant Galiem, who couldn’t keep his chance alive. The next ball Ayub faced, he muscled through deep mid-wicket for six at the start of a spectacular run from Maphaka. The next two balls brought consecutive boundaries before three dot balls ended the most expensive part of the Powerplay. The slog sweep turned out to be one of Ayub’s favorite shots as it complemented Babar perfectly.
Ayub’s career-best result, as well as his first half-century in this format, came off 33 balls in the 11th over, so he had the time and opportunity to double. After Babar’s dismissal, Ayub brought out more classic features like the square. He continued to take on Maphaka and hit him for three sixes in his final over to stand on the brink of 90, with three overs remaining. In a cruel twist, Ayub faced only six balls in the last three overs, and none in the final over, and remained unbeaten on 98.
Jahandad’s double strike
Brought into the side in place of Sufiyan Muqeem wrister, Jahandad Khan almost immediately showed what he was capable of. His second delivery flew away from left-hander Ryan Rickelton, who couldn’t help but bowl with minimal foot movement and headed towards Rizwan to end the opening partnership on 6. During his next over, Jahandad played with his lengths and speed, bowled a slower ball, then ended with a short ball which Matthew Breetzke tried to pull but could only reach mid-off. Shaheen Shah Afridi took a simple catch to leave South Africa 28 for 2 after four overs.
A hundred for Hendricks
A day after being ruled out of the ODI to face Pakistan next week and as questions swirled over his continued presence in the national teams, Hendricks silenced his critics by showing he still has what it takes at this level. He made a run-a-ball off the first 14 balls he faced, then bowled a short delivery from Haris Rauf to edge him over fine leg for six before putting a slower ball into the stands on a deep square for six more. A third six saw South Africa finish the powerplay on 52 for 2, seven runs ahead and one wicket more than Pakistan’s 45 for 1 at the same stage.
He then smashed two more sixes, including one off Abbas Afridi, making him fifty off 29 deliveries, at mid-off. South Africa were 94 for 2; at the same stage, Pakistan were 90 for 1. Hendricks handled boundaries and surged into the 90s with three more sixes and two fours before conjuring up triples when he hit Rauf at mid-wicket. His hundred came off 54 balls, and he finished with 117 off 63 balls, including seven fours and 10 sixes and left South Africa on the brink of victory. When Hendricks was dismissed, they needed 21 runs off 14 balls and got there off 11.
