Saim Ayub scored his second century, while Salman Ali Agha showcased his all-round brilliance to lead Pakistan to a thrilling victory in the first ODI of the three-match series against South Africa here at Boland Park on Tuesday. Salman Ali Agha, after taking four wickets in the first innings, played a calm and composed knock of 82* in 90 balls with the help of six boundaries, which included two sixes.
Salman Ali Agha, the right-hander came out to bat with Pakistan struggling at 60-4 and formed a solid partnership of 141 runs with opening batter Saim Ayub. Salman Ali Agha was adjudged the Player of the Match (POTM) for his astounding all-round performance at Boland Park in Paarl. Salman Ali Agha claimed figures of 4/32 before scoring an unbeaten 82 off just 90 deliveries. Salman Ali Agha, who won the Player-of-the-Match award thanks to his all-round excellence, handed the award to Ayub.
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch Report : The surface of Boland Park has been quite batting-friendly in nature. Going by the facts, in the last three years, out of the 10 games played, teams have preferred to bat first in a bid to put up a big score to put the opposition under the run chase pressure. The average score at this venue is close to 240 runs. Interestingly, in one instance, South Africa went on a run rampage as they scored a mammoth 353 against the Asian side, Bangladesh.
The pitch is anticipated to be slow and spin-friendly, providing a significant advantage to spinners. Captains winning the toss are likely to opt for batting first to capitalize on the favorable early conditions. However, as the match progresses, the surface is expected to deteriorate, making batting increasingly challenging and adding to the bowlers’ dominance.
Toss : South Africa stand in skipper Aiden Markram won the toss and chose to bat with 3 seamers and one forced change as Keshav Maharaj got replaced by Andile Phelukwayo in the playing XI due to injury. Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan bowling first opted to go with 3 seamers and 1 spinner in the playing XI.
Salman Ali Agha’s 4-fer restricts South Africa to 239 for 9 after Klassen’s heroics with the bat
Opting to bat, South Africa got off to a good start, with the openers adding 70 inside the first 10 overs. Tony de Zorzi and Ryan Rickelton picked up regular boundaries off Afridi and Naseem Shah, forcing Pakistan to turn to spin after seven overs. But the flurry of boundaries did not cease until Agha turned things around in dramatic fashion.
The match got underway with South Africa skipper Aiden Markram calling it correctly at the toss and electing to bat first. The decision seemed right after openers Tony de Zorzi and Ryan Rickelton added 70 runs for the first wicket in 9.5 overs. After negating the opening spell from Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, de Zorzi fell to Salman Ali Agha for 33 off 25 balls.
Rickelton followed de Zorzi into the South African dressing room seven balls later and the hosts conceded the early advantage. After accounting for the openers, Salman Ali Agha dismissed Rassie van der Dussen for 8 and gave Pakistan the upper hand. Salman Ali Agha claimed his fourth wicket two deliveries later as he cleaned up Tristan Stubbs for just a solitary run and reduced South Africa to 88/4 after 13.4 overs.
An arm ball from Salman Ali Agha trapped De Zorzi in front, and another such delivery rattled the stumps of Rickelton. Salman Ali Agha then had Rassie van der Dussen and Tristan Stubbs bowled in an over as South Africa, who were going strong, slipped to 88/4.
Salman Ali Agha’s burst into bowling prominence was as sudden as it was unexpected. Openers Tony de Zorzi and Ryan Rickleton were coasting along in the first powerplay at over seven runs per over, making light work of Shaheen and Naseem’s opening spell without appearing to take any risks. Rizwan may only have introduced Salman Ali Agha into the attack to break up the momentum, but it turned out to be an inspired choice.
Inside four overs, South Africa’s batting line-up – as well as their position of advantage – was cut to ribbons. It all began when Salman Ali Agha got one to skid into de Zorzi and trap him in front; no review was necessary. Rickleton chopped one on off from him in his following over, but Salman Ali Agha would save his best for last. With the new batters suddenly unable to read him either off the pitch or out of the hand, Rassie van der Dussen and Tristan Stubbs played for turn that wasn’t there, and heard the rattle of their off stump being knocked back.
Skipper Markram and Heinrich Klaasen brought the Proteas back into the contest with a 73-run stand for the fifth wicket. Markram played responsibly and scored 35 before failing to dispatch a half-tracker from Saim Ayub in the 32nd over. Markram was caught at midwicket and the onus of taking South Africa to a respectable total fell entirely on the shoulders of Klaasen.
Klaasen and Markram led the home team’s fightback with a good partnership. After a period of consolidation, Klaasen got into the act with boundaries and also pulled Ayub for his first six. Markram, meanwhile, was happy to rotate the strike and play the supporting role in the stand, although he did score a four off Afridi, who had earlier put down Klaasen off his own bowling. The fifth wicket pair added 73 before Ayub ended the partnership, getting Markram to top-edge a pull.
Klaasen was then joined by Jansen and they put on a half-century stand, with the former bringing up a 68-ball fifty. Klaasen was playing a measured knock but he also made sure to capitalize on the opportunities. Jansen scored only 10 in the partnership with Klaasen before his attempted loft off Abrar resulted in a wicket.
Andile Phehlukwayo, a late replacement for an injured Keshav Maharaj, was Abrar’s next wicket. Then came the big wicket of Klaasen, who was bowled by Afridi leaving South Africa at 218/8 in the 45th over. Kagiso Rabada and Ottniel Baartman scored useful runs to help South Africa to a fighting total, which wasn’t enough in the end. Kagiso Rabada and Ottniel Baartman hobbled along for the last few overs, adding 21 for the 9th wicket, but Pakistan had inflicted much of the damage by then through Salman Ali Agha.
The wicketkeeper-batter kept losing his partners but took South Africa beyond 200 before Shaheen Shah Afridi brought an end to his innings on 86. Klaasen scored 86 off 97 balls with the help of seven fours and two sixes. None of the lower-order batters chipped in with any substantial contributions as the Proteas managed 239 on the board in their 50 overs.
Saim Ayub’s scintillating ton and Salman Ali Agha’s 82 not out carries Pakistan to thrilling win over SA to go up 1-0 in the series
In reply to South Africa Pakistan got off to a nightmarish start as they lost four of their frontline batters for just 60 on the board. Pakistan were on the cusp of getting bundled out cheaply before Ayub and Salman Ali Agha came together in the middle and scripted a match-winning fightback.
Marco Jansen delivered an early blow in the chase as he had Abdullah Shafique bowled without scoring. Pakistan were then kept in check by the South African bowlers, led by Jansen whose first five overs yielded only 17 runs. There were only five fours scored in the first 10 overs, with three of them coming off Babar Azam’s bat, as Pakistan moved to 32/1 at the end of the first powerplay.
On a sticky surface, at 45/1 after 14 overs, Pakistan’s innings was not going anywhere. To add to their problems, Babar fell for 23 off 38, getting a leading edge off Ottniel Baartman and the bowler also bagged the wicket of Mohammad Rizwan in his next over. With Kamran Ghulam getting run out, Pakistan were struggling at 60/4 in the 20th over.
Ayub, who was playing a watchful innings, finally began to find the boundaries as he brought up a 72-ball fifty. At the other end, Salman Ali Agha was was happy taking the singles and twos. But the required rate crossed 6 as Pakistan moved to 112/4 after 30 overs. And that was when Pakistan began the acceleration.
A 20-run over from Baartman, which included two sixes for Ayub, got him into the 80s and took Pakistan past 150 in the 35th over. Salman Ali Agha brought up a 61-ball fifty with a six off Tabraiz Shamsi before Ayub struck two fours and a six off Rabada, who was playing his first ODI since the 2023 World Cup. The maximum helped Ayub get to his second ODI ton, off 112 balls, as Pakistan brought the equation down to 45 in the last 10 overs.
South Africa, through Rabada, provided a new twist to the contest. Ayub attempted a pull but ended up handing a catch to fine leg, which ended a 141-run stand. Irfan Khan then chipped a catch back to Rabada as South Africa clawed back into the game. Rabada finished with 2-48 after which Shamsi struck, getting Shaheen Afridi bowled for an 8-ball duck.
Pakistan needed 28 off 30 but South Africa tightened the screws as Jansen conceded only 2 in the 46th over. Salman Ali Agha released the pressure with a crucial six off Shamsi, who also conceded extras, and struck a streaky boundary off Jansen. After six singles in the 49th over, bowled by Baartman, Salman Ali Agha struck the winning boundary off the third ball of the final over from Jansen.
Pakistan suffered early setbacks before Ayub (109) and Salman Ali Agha put on a century partnership to get them back on track. There were some tense moments for Pakistan towards the end of the chase as they lost quick wickets but Salman Ali Agha remained calm under pressure, scoring an unbeaten 82 to get Pakistan over the line with three deliveries to spare.
Ayub registered his 2nd ODI century and scored 109 off 119 balls with the help of 10 fours and three sixes. Ayub fell in the 42nd over with Pakistan needing 39 more to win. Unfazed by losing his partner, Salman Ali Agha kept batting with aplomb and won his side the game with three deliveries to spare.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Mohammad Rizwan the winning Pakistan skipper said : It was a team game. Their openers got a good start but our spinners put the squeeze. Ayub and Agha played mature knocks. After a long time we have seen a knock like Agha’s. The ODI is a long format and you can always come back. In ODIs if you get wickets after powerplay and middle overs then you will always be in the game. My job is to keep the team together and happy to see Agha give the award to Ayub.
Aiden Markram the losing SA skipper said : We were looking 270-290. We can reflect on both departments and find solutions for Cape Town. We were 80% with both bat and bat. We will reflect and see what we can do better. The two boys got us off to a good start. There are positives. Proud of the fight and taking it to the last over, it is part of the South African culture.
Salman Ali Agha Player of the Match for his all round performance shared his award with centurion Saim Ayub said : They are going to share the award. “We were in a tricky position but we took it one over at a time and built it from there. His (Ayub’s) knock set up the game. He was there with the new ball and was running out of partners.
The way he played the fast bowlers and scoring a hundred on this pitch was amazing, says Agha. “Obviously it is difficult. We were four down and on this track you need to keep the belief. He (Agha) is more experienced than me and was guiding me,” adds Ayub.
A well-paced hundred from Saim Ayub and an all-round show from Salman Agha helped Pakistan register a three-wicket victory in the opening ODI against South Africa in Paarl on Tuesday (December 17). Heinrich Klaasen scored 86 and three other batters crossed 30 but South Africa lost wickets in clusters twice in their innings and were restricted to 239/9, with Agha and Abrar Ahmed doing the bulk of the damage.
Saim Ayub’s dream debut season soared to new heights as a magnificent hundred from the Pakistan opener helped seal a thrilling win in the first ODI over South Africa in Paarl.
Taking charge of a game that looked a lost cause when Pakistan lost four early in a chase of 240, he struck up a 141-run partnership with Salman Agha, whose all-round contribution began with a four-wicket haul and culminated in an unbeaten 82 as he held his nerve in a tense late stand with Naseem Shah to get Pakistan over the line with three balls and as many wickets to spare.
Phew! That was too tight and it is Salman Agha’s calmness which has got Pakistan over the line. Excellent game of cricket though. The pendulum kept swinging from one team to the other and in the end it is the visitors who come out victorious. Pakistan lost their first four wickets for 60 runs and 240 seemed far away at that stage.
But Saim Ayub and Agha got together to steady the innings first, once they got themselves in the boundaries too started to flow. The 141-run stand had put Pakistan in front but Rabada’s double-wicket over which included the scalp of centurion Ayub brought about a twist. Shaheen threw it away but not Naseem, the pacer took a few blows to the gloves and played a perfect hand to Agha. South Africa did their best with the ball but they were a few runs short with the bat.
Pakistan have taken a 1-0 lead in the series but they will have to thank their two in-form players in this format – Saim Ayub and Salman Agha. They need the rest of them to contribute and cannot be relying on that pair to bail them out every time. South Africa were poor with the bat and that cost them the game. Expect them to bounce back strongly at Cape Town in the game the day after.