It was vintage Quinton de Kock on display at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad on Thursday night. The left-hander, who recently came out of retirement, played a masterful unbeaten innings to guide South Africa to a commanding eight-wicket win over Pakistan, levelling the three-match ODI series 1-1.
De Kock Back to Doing What He Does Best
For someone who hadn’t played a 50-over match since the 2023 World Cup, de Kock looked as if he had never been away.
After a steady 63 in the first ODI, the South African wicketkeeper-batter turned on the class in the second, smashing 123 not out off 119 balls, laced with eight fours and seven sixes.
The way he paced his innings was a reminder of why he remains one of the most dangerous ODI batters of his era.
Pakistan’s Gamble Backfires
Pakistan made two changes to their playing XI, bringing in Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Wasim Jr for Hasan Nawaz and Abrar Ahmed. That meant going in with one less specialist batter and spinner, a gamble that didn’t quite pay off.
Opting to bat first, the hosts never really recovered from a disastrous start. Nandre Burger tore through the top order, dismissing Fakhar Zaman (0), Babar Azam (11), and Mohammad Rizwan (4) inside the first five overs.
With the scoreboard reading 22-3, the pressure was well and truly on.
Salman Agha and Saim Ayub Offer Resistance
Amid the early collapse, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha fought back with a spirited 92-run stand for the fourth wicket. Saim’s fluent 53 off 66 balls included five boundaries and a six, while Agha held the innings together with a gritty 69 off 105.
However, Pakistan’s innings lost momentum again after Saim’s dismissal to Corbin Bosch, and despite Agha’s best efforts, the scoring rate remained sluggish for long stretches.
When Agha eventually fell in the 41st over, Pakistan were in danger of folding under 250, but Mohammad Nawaz had other ideas.
Nawaz and Faheem Lift the Total
Nawaz brought much-needed energy into the innings with a brisk 59 off 59 deliveries, striking four sixes and three fours. His late aggression, supported by Faheem Ashraf’s fiery cameo of 28 off 18 balls, took Pakistan to a respectable 269-9 in their 50 overs.
For South Africa, Burger was the standout performer with the ball, picking up 4-46 in his 10 overs. Nqabayomzi Peter claimed three wickets, while Bosch added two to his tally.
South Africa Cruise to Victory
Chasing 270, South Africa’s openers came out firing. Lhuan-dre Pretorius and de Kock put on a quickfire 81-run stand before Wasim Jr finally provided a breakthrough, removing Pretorius for a lively 46 off 40 balls.
From there, it was all about de Kock and Tony de Zorzi, who combined to produce a match-winning 153-run partnership for the second wicket. De Zorzi’s 76 off 63 balls was full of flair, featuring nine fours and three sixes, before Faheem Ashraf ended his knock.
By then, though, the damage was already done. Quinton de Kock stayed unbeaten till the end, steering South Africa home with 59 balls to spare. Captain Matthew Breetzke added an unbeaten 16 off 20, ensuring there were no late hiccups.
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