Dominant Pakistan Crush South Africa by 9 Wickets in 2nd T20I at Lahore

Pakistan made a roaring comeback in the T20I series by defeating South Africa comprehensively in the second match at Lahore. The green shirts were at their absolute best, as they showcased commanding performances with both bat and ball to win the crucial second match. They thumped South Africa by 9 wickets, courtesy of some fine batting by Saim Ayub in the second innings.

From the perspective of South Africa, they would be feeling highly disappointed. Their batting performance in today’s match was very poor, as they kept struggling throughout the innings due to losing wickets at regular intervals. As a result, the visitors managed to score just 110 runs in the first innings, giving Pakistan an easy opportunity to win the second game.

When South Africa came out to bat, their batting looked out of form in today’s match. The in-form batter, Reeza Hendricks, got out in the first over, courtesy of some exceptional swing bowling by Salman Mirza. Soon after that, Quinton de Kock lost his wicket while trying to take on Naseem Shah over the mid-off fielder. These early blows brought plenty of pressure on the South African batting that was hoping to get a good start in the Powerplay.

Tony de Zorzi and Matthew Breetzke then fell cheaply, as Salman Mirza removed both batters by bowling smartly. The removal of the top order made things difficult for South Africa, as they went into the rebuilding mode to find a base in batting.

Dewald Brevis tried to build a partnership with Donovan Ferreira, however, he got out in the 8th over while trying to take on Faheem Ashraf. His dismissal made things worse for the visitors, as they were left 5 down inside 10 overs when the score was just 49.

Pakistan, on the other hand, seized this opportunity and built more pressure on the struggling South African batters. They took regular wickets during the middle overs, making strike rotation quite difficult for the incoming batters. As a result, South Africa got out cheaply in the end while scoring just 110 runs. Both Salman Mirza and Faheem Ashraf remained the star bowlers for Pakistan in the first innings, as they picked up the majority of the wickets to rout the South African batting.

Coming out to chase the target, the Pakistan openers looked very confident. They started the innings nicely by playing positive cricket. Sahibzada Farhan took the lead in the Powerplay while trying to hit quick boundaries. Saim Ayub was equally good alongside him, as he played stunning shots in the Powerplay to regain his lost confidence.  

When Farhan got out in the 7th over, Pakistan still needed plenty of runs. This was the time when Saim Ayub decided to hit the next gear, as he took on the bowlers aggressively to lift the scoring rate. His positive batting disrupted the bowling plans of South Africa, as the young batter kept on hitting big sixes to accelerate the chase.

Due to his strong batting, Pakistan completed the chase inside 14 overs. The home side showcased strong performance and won the match by a big margin of 9 wickets, giving South Africa a comprehensive thrashing at Lahore. Both teams will again meet in the 3rd T20I on November 1, which will now serve as the series decider.