Rawalpindi: South Africa defeated Pakistan by 55 runs in the first match of the three-match T20 International series, taking a 1–0 lead in the series.

Chasing a target of 195 runs, Pakistan’s batting lineup collapsed and the team was bowled out for just 139 runs in the 19th over.

The match was played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, where Pakistan won the toss and chose to field first.

South Africa’s Innings:
Batting first, South Africa scored 194 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Reeza Hendricks top-scored with 60 runs, while George Linde made 36 and Tony de Zorzi contributed 33 runs.

For Pakistan, Mohammad Nawaz took 3 wickets, Saim Ayub claimed 2, while Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, and Naseem Shah picked up one wicket each.

Pakistan’s Innings:
In reply, Pakistan’s batting struggled from the start. Saim Ayub top-scored with 37 runs, followed by Mohammad Nawaz with 36, and Sahibzada Farhan with 24. The rest of the batting lineup failed to make an impact — Babar Azam was dismissed for a duck, captain Salman Ali Agha scored 2, Usman Khan 12, Hassan Nawaz 3, Faheem Ashraf 1, and Shaheen Afridi 4 runs.

For South Africa, Corbin Bosch starred with the ball, taking 4 wickets, while George Linde grabbed 3 and Lizaad Williams took 2 wickets.

It is worth mentioning that the Pakistan team wore a special pink kit in the first T20 International to raise awareness about breast cancer. The South African players and match officials also participated in the campaign by wearing pink ribbons.