SA vs PAK 2024/25, South Africa vs Pakistan 2nd T20I, Centurion Match Report, Dec 13, 2024

South Africa 206 for 5 (Hendricks 117, van der Dussen 66*, Jahandad 2-40) won Pakistan 210 for 3 (Ayub 98*, Azam 31, Irfan 30, Galiem 2-21) for five wickets

Pakistan were guilty of overrelying on the slower ball, which they sent generously, but that may not have been where they lost the game. Although 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 players, who took South Africa home.

Dayyaan’s dream (and nightmare) debut

Galiem had planned to be in this game, but not play in it. He had tickets to the hospitality suite and was supposed to be sitting with his national teammates enjoying the start of the December break having a few drinks, but this week, on his way home from the gym, he got a call he never expected. Anrich Nortje had broken the big toe on his left foot and Galiem was called up to the national team. He made his debut in his field and then they gave him the new ball.

His first over cost just three runs. Klaasen has to answer exactly why he didn’t throw another pitch on the power play, but in that period he dropped Ayub at 3, which proved costly. He came on again in the seventh over and made a mistake once with a short wide ball, but was taken out again. In his third spell, Galiem got his first international wicket when Usman Khan pipped him to Kwena Maphaka for third, but his moment came in his final over. It was only the second, he bowled in succession and Tayyab Tahir threw a leading edge at him and Galiem caught it hard. It would not have made up for his earlier mistake, but it gave him good figures of 2 for 21 in four overs, with 12 dots, in his first international outing. But that was not the end of Galiem. He was at long when Ayub hit Donovan Ferreira almost straight at him. Galiem put himself in an awkward position and the ball slipped out of his hands.

Sensational Saim but I would have liked two more

Pakistan parted ways with RizBar as they continue to experiment with their opening combination and Ayub has argued for continuity in the role. He scored three runs in the first eight balls he faced before deflecting a Ferreira delivery to debutant Galiem at point, who failed to capitalize on the opportunity. The next ball Ayub faced, he edged to deep mid-wicket for six at the start of a spectacular knock from Maphaka. The next two balls brought back-to-back boundaries before three dot balls ended the most expensive over of the Powerplay. The slow sweep turned out to be one of Ayub’s favorite shots as it complemented Babar perfectly.

Ayub’s career-best, and also his first half-century in the format, came off 33 balls in the 11th over, so he had the time and opportunity to double up. After Babar was dismissed, Ayub brought out more classic shots like the square. He continued to take on Maphaka and hit him for three sixes in his last over to move to 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 last over, and remained unbeaten on 98.

Jahandad’s double whammy

Jahandad Khan, who was substituted in place of wrist-spinner Sufiyan Muqeem, showed almost immediately what he can do. His second delivery drifted away from left-hander Ryan Rickelton, who couldn’t help but play with minimal foot movement and came close to Rizwan to end the opening partnership for 6. In his next over, Jahandad played with his lengths and speeds. He delivered a slower ball and then finished with a short ball that Matthew Breetzke tried to pull but could only fly to mid-on. Shaheen Shah Afridi took a simple catch to leave South Africa 28 for 2 after four overs.

Hundred for Hendricks

A day after being dropped from the ODI to play against Pakistan next week and with doubts over his continued presence in the national teams, Hendricks silenced his critics by proving he still has what it takes at this level. He operated a run-a-ball on 14 of the first 14 balls he faced and then tucked a short delivery from Haris Rauf to edge it over fine leg for six before putting a slower ball into the stands over deep square for six more. . A third six saw South Africa finish the powerplay at 52 for 2, seven runs ahead and one wicket ahead of Pakistan’s 45 for 1 at the same stage.

He went on to smash two more sixes, including one from Abbas Afridi, who added to his fifty off 29 deliveries, at mid-wicket. South Africa were 94 for 2; in the same scenario, Pakistan were 90 for 1. Hendricks dealt with the boundaries and jumped into the nineties with three more sixes and two fours before reaching triple figures 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 with 11.