SA vs PAK 2024/25, South Africa vs Pakistan 1st T20I, Durban match report, December 10, 2024

South Africa Batting 183 for 9 (Miller 82, Linde 48, Shaheen 3-22, Abrar 3-37). Pakistan 172 for 8 (Rizwan 74, Ayub 31, Linde 4-21) for 11 runs

After not playing for South Africa for three years, George Linde made up for lost time with a stunning all-round performance on a thrilling evening at Kingsmead. A 24-ball 48 with the bat and 4-21 with the ball beat a brave Pakistan who were down by 11 runs. The referee even thought he had scored a hat-trick in the penultimate period, but a review denied him that glory but not his undisputed Player of the Match award. Mohammad Rizwan, who faced the first ball, was there in the final when his team went down struggling. A late attack from the captain wasn’t quite enough to undo the damage of a sluggish first half of an innings in which he managed just 36 off the first 44 deliveries, although he finished with 74 off 62.

South Africa went into the first T20I in Durban with a clearly second-rate side, but it won’t matter when David Miller is in the form he found today. A majestic 40-ball 82 ran through the first innings like a dagger for Pakistan, who thought they had made early progress as Shaheen Shah Afridi and Abrar Ahmed eliminated Rassie van der Dussen, Reeza Hendricks and Matthew Breetzke early. But Miller kept the runs coming and Pakistan’s spinners couldn’t make the impact they had hoped for on a real, flat Durban pitch. Heinrich Klaasen did not hesitate in choosing to bat first.

Saim Ayub gave Pakistan a flying start despite the early loss of Babar Azam, but South Africa reined them in in the middle overs. Rizwan struggled to get going and Pakistan’s inexperienced middle order couldn’t keep the required pace under control at the other end. This allowed South Africa to get decent overs in the middle while taking normal wickets and suddenly Pakistan were running out of batters and overs.

An errant 17th over from the otherwise impressive 18-year-old Kwena Maphaka allowed Pakistan 24 runs and they suddenly found themselves back in the game. Rizwan was on a high at this point, hitting two sixes against Maphaka and three fours against Ottneil Baartman, and Pakistan had suddenly dragged themselves back into it, needing 19 in the last over. But Maphaka, returning for the 20th over, had Rizwan top-edge a slower ball and the game was over as a contest. Pakistan had paid for their generosity with the ball at the death and their tardiness with the bat at the start. South Africa were composed enough to take full advantage.

The Killer Miller Show

David Miller has earned a reputation for being a stickler in the middle and late overs. But after Shaheen and Abrar struck early, Miller came in at No. 4 with an inexperienced team. And for about an hour he showed that his timing and technique were every bit as good as his power. Taking advantage of starting his innings on the powerplay, he swept Shaheen off the pads to get going before hitting him through covers for another boundary.

The quality of his timing was evident against Sufiyan Muqeem shortly after the power play. The left-arm wristspinner tried to stay out of his arc by bowling wide and turning it away, but Miller’s outstretched arms and power at the end of his reach negated that tactic. He rammed it over the extra-cover boundary, where the fielder could only watch as it flew over his head. Muqeem tried again two balls later, only to experience the same treatment with, if possible, even less effort.

Miller had just started and was brutal against the spin, hitting Abrar three times in a row in the tenth round. He cut through the innings like a scythe for Pakistan; From the time he came on until Shaheen finally had him taken out, he added 82 of South Africa’s 125 goals.

Linde punishes Rizwan’s dare

Tactics are invariably judged by results rather than thought processes, and Linde ensured that Rizwan’s aggressive assassination maneuver cost Pakistan dearly. After Miller fell and Pakistan used two more quick strikes to reduce South Africa to 141 for 8, the Pakistan captain saw an opportunity to throw South Africa out of the game. Shaheen, Abbas Afridi and Haris Rauf were bowled out in the 19th over; Pakistan may have hoped that South Africa’s innings would be completed by then.

But that didn’t happen as Linde mastered the attack and Maphaka’s strange boundary line took the pressure off them. It was left to Muqeem to bowl the final over and when Linde was denied a single off the first ball, his intentions were obvious. Muqeem missed his length on almost each of his last five throws; Three of them went for sixes before Linde finally missed the last ball into the cow corner. But South Africa had climbed to 183 and Pakistan’s hopes of out-performing them were dead and buried.

Rizbar now, Rizbar forever?

Mohammad Rizwan-Babar Azam’s opening obituary has been written far too many times to attempt another obituary. It seemed like Pakistan’s opening days with their two trusty anchors were finally over, but in a tough fightback it was these two who left the game with Saim Ayub sitting in the dugout. Both looked rusty and lacked the pace required. Babar could have brought down Maphaka’s first ball and eventually managed to keep out the fourth ball without scoring.

Ayub came into the game and demonstrated why he is so strong in the first six balls. He displayed his full repertoire of power, verve and boldness as he raced through the remaining powerplay, hitting seven boundaries in his first 13 balls to race to 31. He is less effective when the field stretches out and holed out to save the second ball he faced after the power play. However, he had impressed Pakistan brilliantly and one wondered how much he could have added had he been there from the start. At death it became clear how important each run would have been.

Danyal Rasool is ESPNcricinfo’s Pakistan correspondent. @Danny61000

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