Twitter Reactions: Proteas prevail in the thriller to register a six-run win against Pakistan

When was the last time you've seen a player win the 'Man of the Match' award for his fielding?

By Suryesh M

View : 23.5K

5 Min Read

South Africa vs Pakistan
info
South Africa vs Pakistan. (Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

A rookie Proteas side, that took Pakistan on in the first T20I, successfully overhauled the No.1 T20I side. South Africa won the match by a narrowest of 6-run margin to take a 1-0 lead in the series. Momentum kept shifting between both the side like a pendulum throughout the game. However, the fortunes didn’t favour the visitors bringing an end to their nine-match winning streak.

David Miller, who scored 10 runs off 12 balls in the match, was declared the ‘Man of the Match’, not for his batting but for his fielding. The 29-year-old plucked four catches in the game and also affected two direct hits which resulted in run outs. This is only the third loss for Pakistan in 20 T20Is since the start of 2018.

Faf du Plessis, Reeza Hendricks put on a spectacular partnership

Quinton de Kock is ruled out of the three-match series due to a groin injury that he sustained in the fifth ODI. Hence, Gihahn Cloete replaced him in the eleven. However, he failed to deliver and returned to the pavilion after scoring 13 runs. But, once he fell, Faf du Plessis and Reeza Hendricks put on a special display and added 131 runs in only 12.1 overs.

Both of them slammed aggressive yet fluent 70s clearing the boundaries at will and finding the gaps with ease. However, once these two fell, it was a struggle for the home team. From a position where they looked like a score in excess of 220, they only managed to get to 192 runs in 20 overs. The death bowling from Pakistan was terrific and they only gave away 35 runs in the last five overs.

Chris Morris executes the plans brilliantly at the death

Fakhar Zaman departed early in the chase. However, Babar Azam and Hussain Talat looked good and subjected the bowlers to pressure. Azam, after scoring 38 off 27 balls, was run out by David Miller while Shamsi got the better of Talat after he had scored 40 runs.

From this stage, Shoaib Malik was the lone warrior for the visitors. He had no support from the other batsmen in the middle-order. He battled hard right until the end but failed to get the team over the line. The skipper perished in the final over of the game after scoring 49 runs. Pakistan ended up 186 runs on the board, six runs shy of the Proteas’ total.

Twitterati was glad that the Proteas put up a good performance at Newlands. The side has often struggled while playing T20I cricket at this venue. They only had three wins in 17 games here before this victory. Pakistan, on the other hand, lost its first T20I match at this venue. They won on all of the previous three occasions.

Here is how Twitterati reacted:

Get the latest Cricket News and updates from South Africa vs Pakistan series, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.

Get every cricket updates! Follow Us:

googletelegraminstagramwhatsappyoutubethreadstwitter

Download Our App

For a better experience: Download the CricTracker app from the IOS and Google Play Store
South AfricaPakistan