Salman Ali Agha‘s first ODI century and Mohammad Rizwan’s fourth combined as Pakistan completed their highest successful chase in ODIs and secured a spot in the tri-series final against New Zealand on Saturday. Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha , Pakistan’s captain and vice-captain, shared in a record fourth-wicket stand of 260, the highest-ever against South Africa, and the fourth-highest by any pair while chasing. South Africa have never had a bigger score chased against them.
Led by centuries from Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha, Pakistan registered their highest successful ODI run chase, beating South Africa by six wickets in a high-scoring encounter in Karachi on Thursday. The win, their first in the tournament, has now sent them to the final of the tri-series to be played on Friday (February 14).
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch Report : The outfield is lightning quick. Average score in the last 5 years is 290. This pitch is so welcoming to the batters and at times offers something for the spinners. If there’s dew around, it might be hard work for the bowlers. The pitch is hard, there’s grass to help the ball slide onto the bat reckons Aamir Sohail.
Toss : South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma won the toss and chose to bat with Tony de Zorzi, Heinrich Klaasen, Corbin Bosch and Keshav Maharaj coming in the playing XI. Pakistan skipper Mohammed Rizwan bowling first made two changes in the playing XI bringing in Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Hasnain for Kamran Ghulam and Haris Rauf.
Skipper Temba Bavuma, Matthew Breetzke’s and Heinrich Klassen’s quick 80’s powers SA to 352 for 5 in 50 overs
Earlier in the day, half-centuries by Temba Bavuma, Matthew Breetzke and Heinrich Klaasen had set the stage for South Africa’s total of 352 for 5. Opting to bat, the visitors had blazed away to 51 runs within the eighth over before losing their first wicket, when Toni De Zorzi’s edge was pouched by a fine diving effort from Agha at slips. It was the first of the two stunning catches he had taken.
They started strongly with a powerplay that saw them total 64 for 1 and both Bavuma and Breetzke in good touch. Breetzke, in particular, was soon striking at over 100, and allowed Bavuma to dial it down slightly as he approached his first fifty in 17 innings. He got there with a single off Salman, and then accelerated once again.
In general, Bavuma played more riskily than we are used to and went for an expansive drive off left-arm spinner Khushdil Shah but edged past Rizwan. Later that over, he tried to slog Khushdil over square leg but top-edged. Naseem Shah misjudged the catch and put Bavuma down on 60.
The second had come much later, against the run of play at the start of the 39th over, when Breetzke’s powerful cover drive on the up was intercepted by Agha, who dived to his right. However, between those two catches by Agha, South Africa had laid a strong foundation with Bavuma and Breetzke stitching a 119-run alliance and Breetzke adding 68 more in the company of Klaasen.
On a pitch where there wasn’t much assistance for the bowlers, it was an well-paced innings by South Africa. Without having to take too many risks, Bavuma used the width of the crease well to find a regular flow of boundaries. Breetzke, on the other hand, was more assertive with his intent to score. Every now and then he gave the charge to the bowlers, unsettled them from their lengths and used it to his advantage.
Pakistan were able to keep South Africa fairly quiet for the next eight overs, and they scored at under five an over but grew frustrated with their inability to break through. Breetzke brought up fifty off 46 balls before Hasnain thought he had him out lbw when he missed a leg-side whip and Rizwan was convinced to review but ball-tracking showed it going down leg.
Sensing an opportunity to create something, Rizwan brought Shaheen Shah back on in the 27th over and he tested the batters with pace and personality. There were stare-downs and words. At one point, Afridi moved into Breetzke’s path as he was completing a single and there was contact. Breetzke didn’t back down, got in Shaheen’s face and the pair had to be separated by the umpires and team-mates. In the next over, Bavuma played Hasnain to backward point and raced away for a single before checking with Breetzke, who sent him back. It was too late.
The flow of boundaries continued in a good flow as they marched along at close to run a ball. Much like Breetzke’s innings later, Bavuma’s stay too was cut short in the 80s and without the bowler having much of a role to play in it. Bavuma set off for a single after cutting the ball to backward point. However, Breetzke aborted the run, leaving his captain stuck mid-way on the pitch. The dismissal led to aggressive celebrations from the Pakistanis, which even forced the umpires to intervene and warn the captain.
Saud Shakeel swooped in and with a one-handed pick up and throw ran Bavuma out and celebrated in his face for good measure. Bavuma was stranded on 82, with a golden chance at a century gone begging, but South Africa still had 21.5 overs to face.
While Breetzke continued in his pace, Klaasen cut loose in the 34th over, smashing Mohammad Hasnain for four boundaries. He kept the attack going and drilled two boundaries off Naseem Shah too just before Breetzke’s fall. Even as two set batters were dismissed, the stage was set for a late flourish, and Klaasen capitalized on it in the company of Kyle Verreynne.
Klaasen was sent in at No.4 and faced 14 balls for seven runs before he remembered who he was. He smoked Hasnain for four fours in his sixth over, over mid-on, mid-off, square-leg and deep mid-wicket to bring up 200 and get the innings going again. That over cost 16 runs and the next four for 36 and South Africa were back in sight of a massive score.
Breetzke was out to a stunning Salman catch when he tried to smash Khushdil through the covers but Salman, who dived across and reached out with his right hand to pluck the ball close to the ground. Mulder was caught at point in the next over and South Africa entered the final ten overs on 242 for 4 but with Klaasen there, would have been comfortable.
He unleashed a 95-metre six five balls into that period, brought up fifty off 38 balls and then completely cut loose. His next 37 runs came off 18 balls and he spared no-one. Afridi was treated particularly severely as Klaasen took him for back to back sixes in an over that cost 20. When he tried to give Naseem the same treatment, Klaasen sent a low full toss to long-on. In the end, Pakistan’s two centuries to South Africa’s none was the difference.
The most ruthless of the attacks came against Shaheen Afridi, who was taken apart for 20 runs in the 46th over. Hasnain came under fire again in the last over of the innings when Corbin Bosch launched him for a boundary and a six. In a contest where more than 700 runs were scored, it seemed like South Africa’s acceleration came a little too late.
Salman Ali Agha and Mohammed Rizwan’s tons powers Pakistan to record chase in ODI history for them as they reached the tri series Finals
Pakistan had made a steady start to the run-chase with Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman putting on a half-century stand in less than six overs, before the former departed. Even as Babar had set the tempo with two boundaries in the opening over, much of the attack in this period had come from Zaman’s bat. The southpaw had taken a liking to Corbin Bosch and smashed him for 25 runs in two overs.
Zaman’s assault aside, South Africa kept chipping with regular wickets to reduce the home side to 91 for 3 by the 11th over. Saud Shakeel holed out to Wiaan Mulder at deep mid wicket while Zaman’s jab caught the outside edge to the ‘keeper. Nonetheless, the brisk start offered time for Salman Ali Agha and Rizwan to settle in.
Even as Rizwan got going by pulling the first ball of his innings for a boundary, he soon moved towards a more conservative approach. In the early part of their partnership, Salman Ali Agha and Rizwan depended more on rotating the strike, and were pacing at well below run-a-ball by the time they brought up the half-century of their partnership.
Even as there were the occasional boundaries flowing, the first intent of pressing the accelerator was noticed in the 29th over, when Rizwan slog swept Keshav Maharaj for a six and then went down the track to Senuran Muthusamy for the same result. Salman Ali Agha was more pleasant with his strokeplay even as he played some fine shots on the up. As the partnership swelled, the flow of boundaries also increased. Runs came at a faster pace and the bowlers seemed less threatening.
Rizwan brought up his century by pulling Wiaan Mulder for a six, only three balls before Salman Ali Agha reached the mark with a single – his maiden ODI ton. The duo added 260 runs for the fourth wicket before Salman Agha’s innings was cut short, two runs short of the target. Tayyab Tahir completed the formalities by stroking the first ball of his innings for a boundary to help Pakistan over the line with an over to spare.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Mohammed Rizwan the winning Pakistan skipper said : Everyone knows cricket is by chance. Thanks to the Almighty for helping us with the record chase. I thought we could keep them to 300 but with the way Klaasen played, he took them to 350.
When we finished our bowling and were going back, couple of the guys reminded us that we have chased such totals before and that motivated us. I am getting angry (with the misfields) because the players have told me to show emotions. Our fielding has to improve with the Champions Trophy coming up.
Temba Bavuma the loosing SA skipper said : Getting to 350 you back yourselves. We were confident at the start of the innings, but we didn’t start well, picked up a couple of wickets but never put them under pressure. It stayed a good wicket. Little bit of swing, nothing too extreme, it is going to be tough work for the bowlers if these are the wickets (in the Champions Trophy) we will be playing, nothing for the spinners.
Picking wickets is important, but (bowlers) making sure batters are scoring off good balls, then it is the middle phase where the game happens. Yeah, hitting the ball well, nice to spend time in the middle, I batted this long last in the Test series versus Pakistan, so good to dust off the cobwebs. The responsibility will be on us batters to put up such totals on the board and give our bowlers a chance.
Salman Ali Agha Player of the Match for his blistering 134 runs said : It was a good wicket to bat on. We wanted to take the game deep and took it 5 overs at a time. It is just one of those, stuck to my hand. I want to contribute in all three departments and that’s why I was able to pull off that catch. It was a good wicket in the first innings, it didn’t change much. Hopefully we can put up a total in the final and our bowling attack can defend any score.
On a pitch perfect for batting, Pakistan’s efforts trumped Temba Bavuma’s highest ODI score since September 2023, Matthew Breetzke becoming the player with the most runs after two matches (233) and Heinrich Klaasen’s fourth successive 80-plus score in the highest-scoring encounter between these two sides.
It goes without saying that it was a difficult day for bowlers, and seamers in particular. Pakistan’s quicks conceded 206 runs in 28 overs, of which Mohammad Hasnain’s eight cost 72, and South Africa’s pace attack gave away 223 runs in 27 overs. South Africa have now lost six successive ODIs.
Ultimately, South Africa will be more concerned about the loss of Klaasen to a thumb injury than the match. Klaasen left the field in the 32nd over and handed the wicket-keeping gloves to Kyle Verreynne, after a ball that kept low from Corbin Bosch struck him on the right thumb. There was no immediate update on Klaasen’s condition.
Pakistan had never conceded more runs in Karachi and only once allowed South Africa to score more against them so their task was tough from the outset. But their chase got underway briskly when Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam put on 56 in the first six overs, and took apart both Lungi Ngidi and Corbin Bosch.
Wiaan Mulder was introduced as first-change early, in the seventh over, and struck with his first legitimate ball. He cramped Babar for room as he tried to flick the ball away and struck him on the front pad. Babar reviewed immediately but UltraEdge confirmed there was no bat and the ball was going on to hit the middle stump.
Saud Shakeel, brought into the side for this match, kept the pressure on and scored 15 off 16 balls before mistiming a pull off Bosch to Mulder at deep mid-wicket. Pakistan’s powerplay score of 91 for 2 was their third-highest since 2002 and set them up well.
South Africa soon edged ahead when, four balls into the 11th over, Fakhar played inside the line of a Mulder ball, got an edge and Klaasen took a diving catch to his left. Rizwan had only faced two balls, and pulled one of them for four, when he was joined by Salman Ali Agha, with a rebuilding job to do.
Pakistan scored only one boundary in the next seven overs and the required run-rate climbed over 7.3 but slowly, Pakistan started to find more boundaries. Salman picked on anything full from the spinners and the pair rotated strike well to take Pakistan to 163 for 3 at the halfway stage, still needing 190 runs.
Senuran Muthusamy came into the attack at that point and by his third over, Rizwan lined him up and launched him over long-on to bring up the hundred partnership. By then, Rizwan already had fifty and Salman Ali Agha soon brought up his fifty off 51 balls.
Though the required run-rate hovered between seven to eight runs an over, neither Salman Ali Agha nor Rizwan panicked and they were supplied with enough boundary balls to keep the score ticking over. South Africa were guilty of offering too much width, failing to adjust their lengths and the occasional piece of ordinary fielding. By the time Pakistan got to their last ten overs, they needed 82 runs. South Africa had scored 110 in the same period, so Pakistan knew what was possible.
Both set batters were on the doorstep of the 90s and Rizwan got there first when he launched Mulder over deep mid-wicket, off the 106th ball he faced. In the same over, Salman Ali Agha got to his milestone off a single. His hundred took just 87 balls. Pakistan brought 300 up in the 44th over and needed just 32 runs in the last five overs. Despite Salman Ali Agha falling before the winning runs were scored, Pakistan got there with six balls to spare, leaving South Africa wondering how many they left out there.
What a chase! Pakistan are not known for their chasing but this was a pretty well-paced run chase from Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha. The start was important and the two openers – Babar and Fakhar – managed to get them off a flyer. The pair added 50+ in the first 6 overs and though they lost 3 wickets inside 11 overs, the asking rate was well under control. What that start did was it allowed Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha to get themselves in before stepping on the accelerator.
The duo took their time but always kept the scoreboard moving; Rizwan was the accumulator while Salman Ali Agha was the aggressor, but once they were in then it was boundaries flowing from both ends and they reached their respective hundreds. South Africa had no answers to the record partnership. Every bowler tried, Mulder picked up a couple of wickets early on, but that was all the joy they had. It seemed Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha will see them over the line, Ngidi broke the 260-run stand but it was too late for South Africa.
Pakistan have booked their place in the final. Their batting especially Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha bailed them out today, their bowling and fielding still needs some fine tuning. South Africa will be slightly concerned as they have allowed the opposition to chase down 300+ twice in two games.
Apart from Jansen and Rabada, the bowling attack is more or less the same and that is a worrying sign before a big tournament. But that is for another day. Today belongs to Pakistan and their record run chase. They will celebrate this victory and come back to face New Zealand on Friday for the trophy