SANDTON: Fakhar Zaman’s magnificent knock of 193 runs went in vain as Pakistan suffered a 17-run defeat at the hands of South Africa in the second ODI here on Sunday.
With this win, South Africa has levelled the three-match ODI series 1-1 and the series decider will take place on April 7. After being asked to bat first, South Africa got off to a good start with openers Quinton de Kock and Aiden Markram scoring regular boundaries. Faheem Ashraf provided Pakistan with the first breakthrough as he dismissed Markram (39) in the 10th over.
Temba Bavuma then took the field and played brilliantly along with De Kock. The duo formed a 114-run partnership before Haris Rauf got hold of De Kock (80). Rassie van der Dussen then came out to bat and played with an aggressive mindset. He completed his half-century off just 34 balls. Bavuma and Van der Dussen took the team over the 250-run mark but soon after that, the latter got out. Bavuma too got out after scoring 92 runs. South Africa then lost wickets in a regular interval but it was David Miller’s 27-ball 50 that powered them to a very competitive total of 341 runs.
Brief scores: South Africa 341/6 (Temba Bavuma 92, Quinton de Kock 80; Haris Rauf 3/54); Pakistan 324/9 (Fakhar Zaman 193, Babar Azam 31; Anrich Nortje 3/63).