Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat first, but it was the South African bowlers who made a significant impact during the initial powerplay. Jansen managed to secure two early wickets. He had Abdullah Shafique caught at deep square leg, and then Imam-ul-Haq edged a wide delivery to gully. Pakistan found themselves in a difficult position, standing at 58/2 after 10 overs, desperately needing a strong partnership to stabilize their innings.
Babar Azam stepped up and reached a half-century, but Pakistan continued to struggle before he was dismissed immediately after reaching this milestone. With the score at 145/5 and 22 overs remaining, Pakistan was at risk of posting a below-par total. However, Saud Shakeel emerged as the key player in Pakistan’s recovery, supported by a quick 43 from Shadab Khan and a run-a-ball 24 from Mohammad Nawaz. Tabraiz Shamsi ultimately outshone Shakeel, finishing with remarkable figures of 4/60, restricting Pakistan to a total of 270.
In response, the Proteas started strongly, with Quinton de Kock hitting four boundaries off Shaheen Afridi’s first over. However, Afridi had the last laugh, dismissing the in-form opener for 24. Captain Temba Bavuma continued to maintain a positive momentum by consistently finding the boundary but was also eventually dismissed in the penultimate ball of the powerplay, with the team’s score at 69/2.
Following Bavuma’s departure, Rassie van der Dussen formed a rapid 54-run partnership with Aiden Markram before being replaced by concussion substitute Usama Mir due to Shadab Khan’s injury while fielding. Heinrich Klaasen failed to replicate his previous game’s heroics, leaving the score at 154/4 at the halfway point of the innings, with Markram scoring a half-century. Despite this, the Proteas seemed in control of the game, with David Miller quickly accumulating runs alongside Markram.
The game took a sudden turn when Afridi had Miller caught behind for 29 with 65 runs still required. Marco Jansen couldn’t handle the pressure and departed after a quick 20, leaving Markram as the last remaining batsman. Markram battled on to reach 91, making the match seem like a foregone conclusion with just 21 runs needed from the final 10 overs.
However, the match turned on its head when Usama Mir dismissed Markram. Gerald Coetzee fell five balls later, and Pakistan was within one wicket of victory when Haris Rauf brilliantly caught and bowled Lungi Ngidi at 260/9. Nonetheless, Keshav Maharaj emerged as the unexpected hero, showing great composure by scoring three runs off 20 balls before striking the winning boundary in the 48th over.