Twitter Reactions: Pakistan fail to match South Africa’s intent, suffer 11-run defeat in first T20I

George Linde was adjudged Player of the Match for his knock of 48 runs off 24 deliveries and a four-wicket haul with the ball.

By Koustav Sengupta

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Twitter Reactions: Pakistan fail to match South Africa’s intent, suffer 11-run defeat in first T20I
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Twitter Reactions: Pakistan fail to match South Africa’s intent, suffer 11-run defeat in first T20I (Photo Source: ARCO LONGARI/AFP via Getty Images)

South Africa defeated Pakistan by 11 runs in the first T20I of the series in Durban. Batting first, the hosts had a rough start to the game as they were reduced to 28/3 at one stage. Shaheen Shah Afridi and Abrar Ahmed were sensational with the new ball and the Proteas were under pressure. That’s when David Miller took charge of the ship and smacked boundaries all across the park. Even though wickets were falling at the other end, the veteran batter didn’t change his approach, which was key.

Miller smacked 82 runs off 40 deliveries while George Linde played an equally important knock of 48 runs off 24 balls. In the absence of Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen was leading the side but the 33-year-old is currently going through a rough patch, which is slightly concerning. He made 12 runs off 13 deliveries before Abbas sent him back to the pavilion. Towards the fag end, teenage sensation Kwena Maphaka played a small cameo of 12 runs, which in the end proved vital.

Pakistan lost the wicket of Babar Azam in the third over while chasing 184 runs in the second innings. The star batter failed to open his tally and that’s heavily concerning. He seems to have lost his mojo and was dropped from the Test squad earlier in the year and if he fails to improve, the same can be applied in the white-ball formats as well. Batting at three, Saim Ayub showed glimpses of hope before departing for 31 runs off 15 deliveries.

Meanwhile, captain Mohammad Rizwan showed no intent early on and that’s arguably were Pakistan lost the game. His strike rate was below 100 even after playing 30 deliveries, which is not acceptable in modern-day T20I cricket, especially while chasing 184 runs against South Africa. He had very little support from the other end but the keeper-batter had to show more intent to get the job done. Ultimately, he made 74 runs off 62 deliveries, which was not enough as the visitors suffered a defeat in the first T20I.

Here's how Twitter reacted to Pakistan's defeat:

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South Africa vs Pakistan 2024South AfricaPakistanMohammad RizwanDavid Miller