RSA VS PAK - 1st ODI, Pakistan tour of South Africa, 2021

Life is all about evoking emotion in others and this fits perfectly for the Pakistani cricket team. You will be awed with their classy batsmanship. You will wonder how they produce such quality bowlers and suddenly you will also be pulling your hair hard not understanding what's happening one bit. And they do this all in one game! Well let's look at it in a nice way and just enjoy what comes naturally. We obviously need vareity don't we? Ramiz Raja did quip about their side being great entertainers and we don't mind that as long as the quality keeps improving. Barring that panic phase in the chase, they bowled well to keep the Proteas down to a chasable total and got themselves into a commanding position with the bat too. That's it for the day then. The drama will continue on Sunday at the Wanderers. Join us back for hopefully another really good contest between bat and ball. Take care.

Babar Azam | Pakistan captain | Player of the Match: The wicket had a bit of moisture and we tried to utilize that, so credit to our bowlers for capitalising on that with the new ball. They took wickets in the powerplay and restricted them to 270 odd. I just told the bowlers to hit the hard length and not bowl boundary balls. We stuck to our plan and we restricted them. When I went in, I just want to play to my strengths. I was hoping to get a partnership with Imam and we got a big one. To be honest, when the wickets fell I was nervous and the pressure was on with that Nortje spell, and he bowled extremely well. Hopefully we will learn from our mistakes. We need to take the confidence from this win into the next game and hopefully close the series.

Temba Bavuma | South Africa captain: Not the result we were looking for, but a good game of cricket. We were tested in all departments, and tested to our limits. A good start to the series, but we have areas to improve in. I think the batting didn't help especially in the first 10 overs. The David/Rassie partnership helped, but it was too much to expect off them. The Imam-Babar stand took it away from us, and we were always on the backfoot from then. The guys are naturally aggressive, Aiden and Quinny up front, and our options didn't come off, and they looked like soft dismissals, mine included. The options we take, we need to execute them much better than we did today. I think we need to look at areas that we need to improve on, and we need to take the positives into the next game. We need to win the next two to win the series and there's no hiding behind that.

Shadab and Rizwan looked edgy for a bit but managed to eke out a very crucial fifty partnership. The reliable Rizwan too threw it away and it came down to 13 off 9. Van de Dussen dropped Shadab and Shadab was bowled off a no ball next ball. He hit the freehit for four to deliver a knockout punch but Phehlukwayo punched one back next over with four successive dots. Ashraf got a crucial two to tie the game with one ball to go and 9 men in couldn't stop the final run last ball to draw curtains on a game that was a good exhibition for tug of war. Pakistan will be happy for just holding it tight at the end, but the management will not be happy for almost letting the game slip when they were sealing it comfortably.

Varun: "Oh God!!! Someone give Phehlukwayo a IPL contract." - ooooooh, so close!

18:31 Local Time, 16:31 GMT, 22:01 IST: What a bizarre game this. Never should have got this close. But Pakistan did their usual things and the Proteas panicked at the end too. Was more pandemonium out there than a game of cricket at one point and eventually we have a winner. Babar Azam put on a brilliant display after his side was 19/1 in 8 overs in the chase. Imam shared a really good 177-run stand with his captain and they were going at almost 6 RPO at one point. Bavuma then turned to Anrich Nortje and asked him to employ the short ball theory. Nortje steamed in and troubled the batsmen at pace. He got Babar Azam next ball after the 13th ODI hundred and then got the set Imam too next over. And then he just bowled short at will to get Danish and Asif Ali. 186/1 became 203/5 and South Africa had their tails up.

Phehlukwayo to Faheem Ashraf, 1 run, slapped, in the gap and Pakistan finally win! Get your phew gifs going. Slower ball very wide of off, probably was looking to beat the bat and get a runout on the bye, but Ashraf reaches out and slaps it past the dive at cover for his mates to roar from the sidelines!

If this is a dot/wicket, we will have a Super Over! Lots of plans being made for the field. Almost everyone is in now

Phehlukwayo to Faheem Ashraf, 2 runs, that was a gift of a slower ball on length to Ashraf and he lofted that back over the bowler's head right between long-on and long-off. Needed better exection with the ball

Field change. QdK communicates something to the captain. Bavuma directs, the bowler asks for a field too. Long-off back now. Fine leg in

Phehlukwayo to Faheem Ashraf, no run, four dotsss! Phehlukwayo bowled a smart short slower ball and Ashraf just let it go!

Phehlukwayo to Faheem Ashraf, no run, oh bouncer on the helmet now after the batsman missed the pull shot. 3 off 6 is now 3 off 3. Pakistannn! The ump signals for the physio to come out to check on Ashraf and he should be okay because this hit the side of the grille. The helmet is being checked. Concussion tests happening too. Meanwhile the Proteas converge for a chat. Nervous smiles on their faces. Ashraf will bat on

Phehlukwayo to Faheem Ashraf, no run, drilled hard but straight to mid-off. Two dots

Shaheen Afridi, left handed bat, comes to the crease

Phehlukwayo to Shadab Khan, out Caught by van der Dussen!! Van der Dussen doesn't drop this. You got to question Shadab Khan for going for glory. Just got away with one in the previous over. He's the set batsman and has to take the team through. Tries to smash this slower ball high over cover, slices it high and the fielder ran in from deep cover to pouch it. Shadab Khan c van der Dussen b Phehlukwayo 33(30) [4s-2 6s-1]

Phehlukwayo to Shadab Khan, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

Just 3 now

Ngidi to Shadab Khan, 3 runs, this is an edge that has escaped past the keeper and they have stolen three runs. Surely not South Africa! Shadab tried to opened the bat face to guide, got an edge that bounced in from of QdK, could have been stopped

Ngidi to Shadab Khan, FOUR, what a shot under pressure! This surely Pakistan's game now. Ngidi on his haunches. He started the over so well but that dropped chance and the no ball has taken this game away from the Proteas. He went for the yorker here and bowled a low full toss, Shadab played a really good drive to the left of mid-off and placed it perfectly

Ngidi to Shadab Khan, no ball, what drama! Shadab Khan was bowled but this was a full toss above the waist! "I have never seen a batsman be so confident after being bowled," quips Ramiz on air. Ngidi bowls a high full toss following the batsman, Shadab Khan wanted to guide it to third man, instead played it onto the sticks. The side angle replay clearly showing the ball being met above the waist and Pakistan have the free-hit now

Rasvi: "Pakistan being Pakistan again, either they will hand over the match to SA or they will win it dramatically in the last over. If the latter happens, then SA has done a typical SA."

Ngidi to Shadab Khan, 2 runs, in the air, in the air.. Surely not far enough and put down. You talk about Pakistan throwing games away from unthinkable positions and you have South Africa on the other hand! Shadab Khan slogged and mistimed this really high, van der Dussen runs in from deep mid-wicket, doesn't judge it well. The ball probably is swirling and looks like he didn't even get his hands on it