The format changed but the result didn't. Pakistan's batsmen put on yet another dismal show as South Africa took a 1-0 lead in the two match T20I series.

by Pakpassion Staff (13th November 2013)

Toss: Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat

Teams:

Pakistan: 1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Mohammad Hafeez, 3 Shahid Afridi, 4 Mohammad Hafeez (capt), 5 Sohaib Maqsood, 6 Umar Akmal (wk), 7 Shoaib Malik, 8 Abdul Razzaq, 9 Sohail Tanvir, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Abdur Rehman

South Africa:1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock, 3 JP Duminy, 4 AB de Villiers (capt & wk), 5 Faf du Plessis, 6 David Miller, 7 Ryan McLaren, 8 Dale Steyn, 9 Imran Tahir, 10 Lonwabo Tsotsobe, 11 Wayne Parnell 
 

Any hopes Pakistan would have had of winning the T20 series evaporated in the space of just 12 deliveries as Pakistan collapsed to three wickets down with just four runs on the board as the South African opening bowlers Dale Steyn and Lonwabo Tsotsobe again decimated the Pakistani top order. Ahmed Shehzad was the first to go, as he edged behind to a Tsotsobe delivery that tempted him outside off stump. Shoaib Maqsood had been pushed up to opener after his promising debut in the ODI series, but he couldn't resist pushing an outswinger to de Kock beelined the stumps. Hafeez was the next to go, a predictable dismissal to his tormentor Dale Steyn. 

Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals for the remainder of the innings as experienced all-rounders Shahid Afridi(10), Malik(12) and Razzaq(10), making his comeback, struggled to form any kind of platform. The standout performer was Umar Akmal, who scored 49 off 41 balls and showed the pitch was not the minefield the scorecard suggested. Akmal scored more boundaries than all of the other batsmen combined, including a lofted driven six off McLaren, and must have staked a claim to play ahead of the likes of Mohammad Hafeez, Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik in the second T20. Pakistan ended their 20 overs with just 98 on the board. 

Fall Of Wickets

1-0 Ahmed Shehzad, 0.5 overs
2-4 Sohaib Maqsood, 1.4 overs 
3-4 Mohammad Hafeez, 1.6 overs
4-21 Shahid Afridi, 6.4 overs
5-41 Shoaib Malik, 9.5 overs 
6-70 Abdul Razzaq, 14.5 overs
7-72 Sohail Tanvir, 15.3 overs
8-98 Umar Akmal, 19.5 overs
9-98 Saeed Ajmal, 19.6 overs
 

South Africa came out to bat knowing one partnership would see the side home and that was exactly the case, as Quinton de Kock and Faf du Plessis played confidently after the early loss of Hashim Amla, who was bowled by Sohail Tanvir for 13. 

do Kock (48*) and du Plessis (37*) scored freely throughout their partnership. Hafeez conceded 8 runs per over, Tanvir 10.5 and Rehman 21 from the one over he bowled, as Pakistan never looked like defending the paltry total. 

The highlight of the batting included two sixes off the Rehman over, and the Proteas hit 12 boundaries as they reached their target in the 15th over. du Kock looked more confident as the recently-concluded ODI series went on and has seemingly brought that form into the T20 format and du Plessis will be relieved to have gotten some runs under his belt after a recent lean spell.

Pakistani captain Mohammad Hafeez did not get a chance to utilse his bowling resources - nine of the players selected are capable of bowing their T20 quota of overs - and the team composition will have to be closely considered as Pakistan look to level the two-match T20 series in the next game. 


Fall Of wickets
1-16 Amla 2.2 overs

 

Another abject display by the Pakistani batsmen left their bowlers with very little to defend on a good pitch. The South African bowlers, in particular the opening duo of Dale Steyn and Lonwabo Tsotsobe set the tone in the first four overs and Pakistan failed to recover after the early blows.

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