LAHORE, Pakistan: Pakistan has won the toss and opted to bowl first against South Africa in the final match of the three-match T20I series at Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday.
With the series tied at 1-1, the match is set to be a thrilling decider, with both teams eager to claim the series victory. The action is set to begin at 8 PM local time.
The match follows a dominant performance by Pakistan in the previous game, where they staged a strong comeback to level the series. In a one-sided affair, Pakistan secured a nine-wicket victory over South Africa, chasing down a modest target of 111 runs in just 13.1 overs.
Openers Saim Ayub and Babar Azam led the charge, with Saim top-scoring with an unbeaten 71 off 38 balls, hitting six fours and five sixes.
His explosive knock guided Pakistan comfortably past the target, alongside a solid 11 not out from Babar Azam, who also became the highest run-scorer in T20Is, surpassing Rohit Sharma’s record.
Earlier in the match, Pakistan’s bowlers dominated, with Faheem Ashraf and Salman Mirza dismantling South Africa’s batting.
Faheem claimed impressive figures of 4 for 23, while debutant Salman Mirza made an immediate impact with 3 for 14 in his four overs.
South Africa was bowled out for 110 in just 19.2 overs, with their innings never truly recovering from Salman’s early strikes, which left them reeling at 7 for 2.
Despite a brief cameo from Dewald Brevis, who scored 25 off 16 balls, South Africa continued to lose wickets regularly, and only Lungi Ngidi’s late flourish with an unbeaten 7 off 3 balls provided some respite.
With the series tied, both teams are now focused on securing the final victory to claim the T20I series. Following the T20I decider, the two sides will head into a three-match ODI series starting on November 4 in Faisalabad.
