Salman, Faheem Shine as South Africa Stutters to 110 Against Pakistan in 2nd T20I

South Africa managed to score just 110 runs in the 2nd T20I, as Salman Mirza and Faheem Ashraf ripped apart their batting with splendid bowling performances. Salman was especially impressive in today’s game, as his early strikes in the Powerplay rocked back the South African team. He came into the side by replacing Shaheen Shah Afridi, who struggled badly in the last game at Rawalpindi.

South Africa would be feeling highly disappointed, as they played quite poorly in the first innings. The pitch looked good for batting, but the line and length of Pakistan bowlers made batting difficult for them. As a result, they managed to score a below-par total in the 1st innings, giving Pakistan a very small target to square the series.

Batting first, South Africa had a horrible Powerplay in today’s match. They were relying on Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks to get a good start, but the duo failed miserably in the first 3 overs. Both batters got out without making any real contributions to the scoreboard, failing the plans of South African batting quite early in the match.

Soon after their dismissal, Tony de Zorzi also got out after making just 7 runs. These early wickets brought immense pressure on the South African batting lineup, as Pakistan seized the opportunity to get a strong edge in the match. The home team bowled superbly in the Powerplay, giving the visitor no room to play their shots freely.

Dewald Brevis tried to give some momentum to the innings by hitting big sixes, but also got out in the 8th over, courtesy of some smart bowling by Faheem Ashraf. The young South African batter was looking in good touch during the match, but a rash try on a bouncer resulted in his early dismissal. When Brevis got out, South Africa had only scored 49 runs for the loss of 5 wickets.

Besides getting regular wickets, Pakistan also halted the strike rotation during the middle overs. This was the main reason several South African batters played rash shots that ultimately led to their dismissals. Faheem Ashraf was the chief destructor during the middle overs, as he bowled a superb spell to disrupt the South African batting lineup.

Due to the consistent pressure exerted by Pakistan, the South African innings never gained momentum, and they were eventually bowled out in the last over after scoring just 110 runs. 

It was a disappointing batting performance from the visitors that has now given Pakistan a great chance to win the match in the 2nd innings and square the series.