Pakistan sealed a 2-1 T20I series win over South Africa after a composed 68 from captain Babar Azam and a fiery new-ball burst by Shaheen Shah Afridi guided them to a four-wicket victory in Lahore.
After bowling South Africa out for 139, Babar anchored the chase with an elegant 47-ball innings, his first T20I fifty since May 2024 ensuring Pakistan crossed the target with one over to spare. The Gaddafi Stadium crowd, which had turned up in full voice, finally got the Babar innings they had long been waiting for.
Shaheen Afridi gave Pakistan a dream start, removing Quinton de Kock and debutant Lhuan-dré Pretorius in a sensational opening over. De Kock was bowled off an inside edge before Pretorius flicked straight to short fine leg.
Two balls later, a sharp in-ducker to Dewald Brevis drew an lbw shout that looked plumb live, only for DRS to show it bouncing over the stumps. Despite the near-miss, Shaheen’s spell set the tone. South Africa crawled to just 22 in the powerplay, their third-lowest in T20I history.
Reeza Hendricks’ 34 was the only substantial contribution in a batting line-up that never settled. Faheem Ashraf and debutant Usman Tariq tightened the screws in the middle overs, while Bosch’s unbeaten 30 from 23 balls offered brief resistance before Pakistan wrapped up the innings.
After the early collapse, Brevis and Donovan Ferreira tried to lift the scoring rate. Mohammad Nawaz, who has been in fine form this year, came on after the powerplay but was taken apart. Brevis struck him for two sixes in his first over, and Ferreira later added two more sixes and a four to take 38 runs off Nawaz’s three overs.
South Africa added 55 runs in the five overs after the powerplay, briefly suggesting a total near 150 might be possible. But once Brevis and Ferreira fell, the lower order failed to accelerate, leaving them short of a defendable score.
When Saim Ayub fell early, the Gaddafi crowd erupted because it meant Babar was coming in. The fans, who have often walked out as soon as he’s dismissed, stayed glued to their seats this time.
After a cautious start, Babar began timing the ball sweetly. His first boundary came off the ninth ball, and soon he was sweeping George Linde yes, sweeping over fine leg. Partnering with Salman Agha, he turned a sluggish chase into a controlled one, adding 76 in 52 balls.
The hallmark of the innings was timing rather than power. He picked gaps, ran hard, and punished anything loose. Three consecutive boundaries off Ottniel Baartman brought up his half-century from 36 balls. By the time he fell for 68, Pakistan were within touching distance, and victory was only a formality.
Bosch’s tight bowling earlier (2-24) kept South Africa interested, but Babar’s fluency ensured Pakistan never lost control. As he walked off, applause rang around the ground the kind of ovation reserved for a player rediscovering his touch.
