South Africa bounced back in style to level the ODI series 1-1 after a commanding eight-wicket win over Pakistan in Faisalabad. Quinton de Kock was the star of the show, hammering an unbeaten 123 — his 22nd ODI hundred and first since returning to international cricket — as the Proteas comfortably chased down Pakistan’s total of 269 with 59 balls to spare.
Chasing 270, South Africa looked in total control from the very beginning. The opening stand between Quinton de Kock and debutant Lhuan-dré Pretorius set the tone for the innings. The pair added 81 runs in quick time, with Pretorius showing early aggression by striking three fours off Naseem Shah in the second over. De Kock joined in soon after, elegantly punching Shaheen Shah Afridi through the covers for his first boundary.
Pretorius was given a lifeline when Naseem spilled a return catch early on, a mistake Pakistan would soon regret. The youngster capitalized on it by taking on Afridi and Mohammad Wasim Jr., before eventually nicking off to the wicketkeeper for 42.
From there, de Kock and Tony de Zorzi took charge with a stunning 153-run partnership for the second wicket. While Pakistan’s bowlers struggled to create chances, South Africa’s left-handers batted with fluency and calm authority. De Kock reached his half-century with a towering six off Faheem Ashraf, while de Zorzi settled in before launching a counterattack against Mohammad Nawaz.
De Zorzi unleashed a flurry of boundaries, mixing classical strokes with inventive shots. He reverse-swept, slogged, and lofted Nawaz over the leg side to collect 27 runs off just 13 balls from the left-arm spinner. He brought up his own fifty in the process.
De Kock, meanwhile, was a picture of composure. He dispatched Afridi for boundaries through the off side, and then moved from 80 to 98 in style with a six over extra cover off Salman Agha. A review for lbw by Afridi delayed his milestone briefly, but the ball was shown to have pitched outside leg. Moments later, de Kock reached his century — a statement innings on his return to the international stage.
Pakistan’s bowlers tried everything — using eight different options — but none could find a breakthrough. Eventually, de Zorzi fell for 76, caught off a leading edge at point, but by then, the game was already beyond Pakistan’s reach. De Kock and stand-in captain Matthew Breetzke saw the team home without further damage, sealing an emphatic victory with almost 10 overs to spare.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan’s innings never quite found momentum despite several individual contributions. After opting to bat first, they were rocked early by Nandre Burger and Corbin Bosch’s fiery new-ball spells. Burger struck with his third delivery, getting Fakhar Zaman caught behind while attempting a pull. Babar Azam survived an early lbw scare through a review but was soon undone by Burger again, edging to first slip for just 10.
Mohammad Rizwan followed soon after, chopping one onto his leg stump as Pakistan slumped to 22 for 3 within five overs. The disciplined bowling from Bosch and Burger set the tone, with Bosch’s opening figures reading 4-0-8-0.
Saim Ayub and Salman Agha then combined to steady the ship, adding a patient 84-run stand for the fourth wicket. However, their slow scoring rate — Ayub at 80.30 and Agha at 65.09 — meant Pakistan struggled to accelerate. Ayub brought some life into the innings with a six off Bjorn Fortuin and reached his second ODI fifty, but just as he looked set for more, he fell to a sharp caught-and-bowled effort from Bosch.
From there, Agha and Hussain Talat attempted to rebuild, but the introduction of legspinner Nqabayomzi Peter changed the course once again. Peter dismissed Talat with a return catch and later had Shaheen Afridi top-edging another. He ended with career-best figures of 3 for 55, while Burger was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 46.
Agha eventually brought up his fifty from 83 balls and tried to up the tempo, only to be bowled by Bosch with a yorker. The late fireworks came from Mohammad Nawaz, who produced his career-best ODI knock — a run-a-ball 59 — including two sixes. He took 16 off the final over before falling to Peter’s third caught-and-bowled dismissal. Pakistan closed on 269 for 9 — a total that always looked 30–40 runs short on a true Faisalabad surface.
South Africa’s chase was in stark contrast to Pakistan’s struggles. Where Pakistan found it hard to find boundaries, the Proteas’ batters rotated strike and punished every loose delivery. It was a perfect example of modern one-day batting — controlled aggression, partnerships, and efficiency.
The third and final ODI, also set to be played in Faisalabad on Saturday, will now serve as the series decider and the conclusion of South Africa’s all-format tour of Pakistan.
