Quinton de Kock’s magnificent, unbeaten 123 powered South Africa to a commanding eight-wicket victory over Pakistan at Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad. This dominant performance, achieved with the required 270 runs chased down in just 40.1 overs, successfully squared the three-match series at 1-1.
Chasing the target, the Proteas got off to a blistering start. Openers Lhuan-dre Pretorius and De Kock laid a superb foundation, combining for 81 runs in less than 12 overs. Pretorius was particularly aggressive, racking up 46 off just 40 balls (including seven fours and a six) before being caught off Mohammad Wasim.
The true match-winning contribution came from the second-wicket partnership between De Kock and Tony de Zorzi. De Kock, who reached his fifty off 55 balls, seamlessly accelerated his scoring, while De Zorzi was immediately intent on attack. He smashed an aggressive 76 off 63 deliveries, contributing to a colossal 153-run stand. De Zorzi targeted the spinners early, hammering two sixes off Mohammad Nawaz in the 23rd over before falling in the 35th. De Kock, anchoring the chase with both poise and power, brought up his 22nd ODI century off 99 balls and guided the team home in the 41st over alongside captain Matthew Breetzke.
Earlier in the day, after electing to bat first, Pakistan’s innings looked precarious following a disastrous top-order collapse. The hosts suffered an immediate setback when opener Fakhar Zaman gloved a sharp Nandre Burger bouncer for a duck. Babar Azam (11) and Mohammad Rizwan (4) followed quickly, leaving Pakistan reeling at 22 for 3 in the fifth over.
The middle order then staged a crucial recovery, led initially by Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha, who combined for a solid 92-run stand for the fourth wicket. Saim scored a composed 53 off 66 balls before falling caught and bowled to Corbin Bosch. Salman continued to anchor the innings with a patient 69. The real shift in momentum, however, came from the lower order, where Mohammad Nawaz hit a belligerent 59 off 59 balls, lifting the scoring rate dramatically with four sixes. Faheem Ashraf’s quickfire 28 further injected momentum. This late surge saw Pakistan’s tail adding 90 runs in the final 10 overs, pushing the team to a respectable total of 269 for 9.
Leading the South African attack was Nandre Burger, who finished with impressive figures of 4 for 46. Corbin Bosch (2-58) and Nqabayomzi Peter (3-55) provided crucial support. Ultimately, South Africa’s comprehensive victory—which equaled their joint-biggest win over Pakistan in Pakistan by wickets—sets up a thrilling series decider, scheduled to take place at the same venue on Saturday.
