SA vs PAK 2024/25, South Africa vs Pakistan 2nd T20I, Centurion match report, December 13, 2024

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

Pakistan had relied too much on the slower ball, which they sent down liberally, but that may not have been the reason why the game was lost. Even though they passed the 200 mark, they could have had a lot more. They were 103 for 1 after 11 overs and 136 for 4 after 16.

Thanks to Hendricks and van der Dussen, two older players who took South Africa home, it wasn’t enough.

Dayyaan’s dream (and nightmare) debut

Galiem had planned to be at that game but didn’t play. He had tickets to the hospitality suite and was supposed to sit with his home teammates and enjoy the start of the December holidays with a few drinks, but as he walked home from the gym this week he received a call he never expected. Anrich Nortje broke his left big toe and Galiem was called up to the national team. He made his debut on his home pitch and then handed over the new ball.

His first over cost just three runs. Why he didn’t throw another ball in the power play is something Klaasen has to answer, but in that period he dropped Ayub to 3, which proved costly. He was substituted on again in the seventh round and once made a mistake in the length with a short, wide ball, but was then taken off again. In his third over, Galiem got his first international wicket when Usman Khan hit him in the deep third against Kwena Maphaka, but his moment came in his last over. It was only the second, he bowled one after the other and Tayyab Tahir threw him a leading edge and Galiem was able to take a sharp catch. It wouldn’t have made up for his earlier miss, but it gave him a good record of 2 for 21 in four overs from 12 dot balls on his first international appearance. But that wasn’t the end of Galiem. He was offside when Ayub Donovan Ferreira struck straight at him. Galiem found himself in an awkward position and the ball burst out of his hands.

Sensational Saim, but he would have liked two more

Pakistan parted ways with RizBar as they continue to experiment with their opening combination and Ayub has made a case for continuing in the role. He scored three runs from the first eight balls he faced before hitting a Ferreira delivery at point to debutant Galiem, who failed to capitalize on the chance. The next ball Ayub faced, he struggled six times over deep midwicket at the start of a spectacular takedown against Maphaka. The next two balls brought back-to-back boundaries before three dot balls ended the most expensive over of the powerplay. The slog sweep turned out to be one of Ayub’s favorite shots as it complemented Babar perfectly.

Ayub’s career-best performance and also his first half-century in the format came in the 11th over off 33 balls, giving him time and opportunity to double. After Babar was dismissed, Ayub came out with more classic shots like the square shot. He continued to take on Maphaka and hit him three sixes in his last over, leaving him on the verge of 90 with three overs remaining. In a cruel twist, Ayub faced just six balls in the last three overs and not a single one in the last over to remain unbeaten on 98.

Jahandad’s one-two punch

Jahandad Khan, who was brought into the team in place of wristspinner Sufiyan Muqeem, showed what he could do almost immediately. His second delivery went away from left-hander Ryan Rickelton, who couldn’t help but play it with minimal foot movement and passed to Rizwan to end the opening partnership on 6. In his next over, Jahandad played with his length and speed, delivered a slower ball and then finished with a short ball that Matthew Breetzke tried to pull but could only fly to middle. Shaheen Shah Afridi took a simple catch to leave South Africa at 28 for 2 after four overs.

One hundred for Hendricks

A day after Hendricks was left out of the ODI squad for a game against Pakistan next week and questions were raised about his continued presence in the national teams, Hendricks silenced his critics by showing he still has what it takes at this level has. From the first 14 balls he faced, he operated with a run-a-ball 14 and then converted a short ball toss from Haris Rauf to hit it over fine leg six times before hitting a slower ball for six more Grandstand brought over the deep field. A third six saw South Africa finish the powerplay on 52 for 2, seven runs ahead and one wicket more than Pakistan’s 45 for 1 at the same stage.

By half-time he hit two more sixes, including one off Abbas Afridi, which took him to 50 from 29 shots. South Africa were 94 for 2; At the same time, Pakistan were 90 for 1. Hendricks played the boundaries and jumped into the nineties with three more sixes and two fours before reaching triple figures when he hit Rauf over midwicket. His hundred came from 54 balls and he finished with 117 from 63 balls, including seven fours and ten sixes, leaving South Africans on the brink of victory. When Hendricks was dismissed they needed 21 runs off 14 balls and managed with 11.