Babar Azam breaks Rohit Sharmas T20I record as Pakistan beat South Africa by 9 wickets to level series
Babar Azam broke Rohit Sharma's T20I record as Pakistan beat South Africa by 9 wickets in the second match at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
New Delhi: Babar Azam has scripted history during Pakistan's nine-wicket win against South Africa in the second T20I at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Friday, October 31. The hosts levelled the three-match T20I series 1-1.
Babar became the leading run-getter in the shortest format, overtaking Rohit Sharma. The former Pakistan skipper has now scored 4234 runs in 130 matches, hitting three centuries and 36 fifties. Rohit Sharma ended his T20I career with 4231 runs in 159 games, smashing five hundreds and 32 half-centuries.
Chasing the target of 111 runs, opener Saim Ayub came out with intent and played attacking shots to put pressure on the Proteas bowlers. Farhan got an early reprieve on the second ball of the innings and started cautiously before changing gears. They forged an opening partnership for 51 runs, which almost sealed the match result.
Corbin Bosch eventually broke the stand by removing Farhan for 28 runs. He bowled a good length delivery, which nipped back in and caught Farhan on the shuffle as he was beaten on the inside edge.
His dismissal brought Babar Azam to the middle, who got a loud cheer from the crowd. Babar played the supporting role as Ayub continued to hit the boundaries and finished the run chase in 13.1 overs. He scored an unbeaten 71 runs off 38 balls with a strike rate of 186.84, smashing five maximums and six boundaries.
South Africa bowled out for 110
Invited to bat first, South Africa got off to a poor start as Salman Mirza removed Reeza Hendricks on the second ball of the match. Quinton de Kock and Tony de Zorzi also failed to score runs and were removed by Naseem Shah and Salman Mirza, respectively.
Dewald Brevis smashed a couple of maximums, but Faheem Ashraf removed him with a slower ball. Wickets kept falling regularly, and none of the South African batters managed to cross the 30-run mark. Ashraf took four wickets, and Salman Mirza picked up three wickets as the visitors bundled out for 110 runs. The third T20I of the series will be played at the same venue on November 1.