CENTURION, South Africa — In a thrilling conclusion to their three-match Twenty20 series, South Africa secured their first series victory in over two years by successfully chasing down Pakistan’s total of 206 runs on Friday. With notable contributions from opener Reeza Hendricks, who scored 117 runs off 63 balls, the South African team reached 210-3 with just three balls remaining.
The Pakistani innings featured an impressive performance by Saim Ayub, who finished unbeaten on 98 runs from 57 deliveries. Despite his strong showing, Ayub was unfortunate not to achieve his first T20 century, as he remained at the non-striker’s end, unable to face the last nine balls of the innings. South Africa emerged victorious in the series with a 2-0 lead, clinching the title with one match to spare—a significant achievement since their last series win in T20 format came in August 2022.
The two teams collectively scored 416 runs during the match, setting a record for the highest combined runs in their T20 history, which spans 17 years. Hendricks, a T20 player for South Africa for the past decade, has been a reliable scorer in the format but had encountered a rough patch leading up to this match. After the team found themselves at 28-2 after just four overs, Hendricks took charge of the innings. “After a tough start, I was relieved to find my rhythm and make those shots count,” he said. “It was just one of those nights where everything fell into place.”
With a total of 10 sixes and seven fours, Hendricks dominated the shorter leg-side boundary, showcasing his impressive ability with various shots such as pulls, flicks, and sweeps. Alongside Rassie van der Dussen, who reached his half-century in 33 balls, Hendricks constructed a formidable third-wicket partnership of 157 runs. The pair kept the scoreboard ticking until Hendricks was caught in the 18th over, leaving the chase largely in van der Dussen’s hands. Van der Dussen concluded the match with a final six, finishing with an unbeaten 66 runs off 38 balls.
Pakistan made the decision to bat first after losing their previous chase, but experienced an early setback when Saim Ayub was dropped on three runs during the third over. Saim, undeterred, showcased a masterclass in shot selection and technique, mixing pulls, flicks, and ramp shots to accumulate his runs. Unfortunately for him, while he elevated his score to 98—doubling his previous T20 best—he could not return to the crease and capitalize on the momentum as Irfan Khan and Abbas Afridi finished the innings with aggressive bowling.
Although Saim missed the opportunity to mark his first T20 century, he had recently celebrated his inaugural one-day international hundred just two and a half weeks earlier in Bulawayo. On the bowling front for South Africa, debutant Dayyan Galiem led the way with figures of 2-21; however, the inexperienced attack, with only 42 caps shared among six bowlers, struggled with 15 wides. The final T20 match of the series is set to take place on Saturday in Johannesburg.
