RSA VS PAK - 2nd ODI, Pakistan tour of South Africa, 2021

Phew! Two matches and two rollicking finishes. These two teams sure do know how to give a blockbuster fare. Today's game might not have been as nerve-wrecking as the previous one but the entertainment levels were still high. Plenty of dazzling strokeplay and powerhitting was on show, many from the Proteas side and one man stood for Pakistan - Fakhar Zaman. Over to the decider now, and Pakistan will carry momentum despite the loss, due to South Africa's key players exiting for the IPL. Do join us for that game. Until next time, this is Hari Sadanandan signing off on behalf of Akshay Maanay, Pradeep Krishnamurthy and Venky.

Fakhar Zaman | Player of the Match: It feels great but it would have been better if we had won. Tried my level best. Good thing is that we fought till the very end. I felt that if you took 15-20 balls to settle, it was a lovely pitch to bat on but for the new batsman, it wasn't easy. One side of the ground was shorter and that helped. I was keeping all this in mind. That (smashing the ball) is my game, so I was just waiting for the right opportunity. I was trying hard, and it's a funny game. We got close in the end. (Whether it's his best innings) Can't say. If we had won, then maybe yes.

Temba Bavuma | Winning captain: Really happy with the win. That was the goal coming here and glad that we did well. Fakhar Zaman played an extraordinary innings but fortunately, we managed to hang on. Credit to him though. We have some areas to improve on, and need to work on it. I wasn't expecting this kind of onslaught from him. When I got in to bat with Quinny, it did seem like there was some help for the bowlers. We wanted to build and allow the hitters to do their thing. We need to clear our minds, and use this gap before the next game as a time to refresh. Need to work on our mistakes. Our IPL boys are leaving, so we do know that dynamic. The guys that will come in will be mentally ready.

Babar Azam | Losing captain: It was one of the best innings I've ever seen. He played it so perfectly. Unfortunately couldn't finish it. I congratulate him on this innings. We really enjoyed his knock. As long as he was there, we had hope of a win. If someone had stood with him, we could have probably won the game. Fakhar had too much pressure on him in the end. We committed a few silly mistakes, will try to rectify those in the next game and try to win the series. Lots of positives though.

Harsha Bhogle: What an incredible innings I have just seen from Fakhar Zaman! Deserved the double.

18:14 Local Time, 16:14 GMT, 21:44 IST: What's with these two teams? They just don't seem to like winning easy. At 120/5 in the 25th over, this game was done. Surely there was no way for Pakistan to come back from there in such a big chase. But one man had other ideas. Fakhar Zaman was mostly measured in his knock, and at one point, it seemed like he probably just wanted his hundred. What we didn't know was that he was calculating it all along. Even when he kept losing partners, he didn't give up. And the gear shift after reaching three-figure mark was one for the ages. It left SA in a daze, a huge shock and towards the end, they really did start to doubt themselves. Zaman was relentless and although the game was done going into the final over, a double century milestone beckoned, one he truly deserved. But a brilliant piece of fielding, a direct hit, cut that dream short. Nevertheless, what an innings!!

Highest individual score batting second in ODIs
193 Fakhar Zaman v SA Joburg 2021
185*Shane Watson v Ban Mirpur 2011
183*MS Dhoni v SL Jaipur 2005
183 Virat Kohli v Pak Mirpur 2012

193 is also the second highest individual score in a losing cause. Highest: Charles Coventry (ZIM), 194 against Bangladesh

Ngidi to Mohammad Hasnain, FOUR, a boundary to finish but SA breathe easy and draw level 1-1! Fuller one outside off, Hasnain makes room and slices this over backward point

Ngidi to Mohammad Hasnain, FOUR, banged over wide mid-on! Length ball, Hasnain clears his front leg and hammers this over mid-on. One bounce to the fence

Ngidi to Mohammad Hasnain, no run, another slower ball, wider lines, Hasnain can't connect again

Ngidi to Mohammad Hasnain, no run, another slower ball, wider this time, Hasnain can't reach it. Swings and misses!

Ngidi to Mohammad Hasnain, FOUR, up and over! Slower ball, Hasnain makes room and lofts this over extra cover

Mohammad Hasnain, right handed bat, comes to the crease

Ngidi to Fakhar Zaman, out Fakhar Zaman Run Out!! 1 run completed. He's gone to a run out! What a tragedy!! Probably the only way he would have gotten out you thought. Slower ball, Zaman pumped it hard to long-off and wanted the second run. There was a slight stutter and it's a direct hit at the keeper's end. Zaman is well short. He didn't expect such a good throw at his end. What an anti-climax!! It's been one heck of a knock. From nowhere, literally nowhere, he brought them this far. de Kock fooled him there, he pointed as though the throw was going to the bowler's end which made Zaman stutter and look back, but Markram had gone to the striker's end and de Kock just let it hit the stumps, catching Zaman unaware. Fakhar Zaman run out (Markram) 193(155) [4s-18 6s-10]

Ngidi to Fakhar Zaman, THATS OUT!! Run Out!!

Lungi Ngidi [8.0-0-53-1] is back into the attack

Phehlukwayo to Haris Rauf, no run, swing and a miss! On a good length, Rauf looks to heave but doesn't connect

Phehlukwayo to Fakhar Zaman, 1 run, slower ball wider outside off, Zaman goes over cover but can't find the gap. Straight to Rabada on the bounce at sweeper cover

Phehlukwayo to Fakhar Zaman, 2 runs, slower ball outside off, pumped high over wide mid-off. One bounce to the fielder who fumbles to allow the second run

James: Only Pakistan and South Africa can play such games!!

Phehlukwayo to Fakhar Zaman, no run, swing and a miss! Slower ball, keeps it just wide outside off, Zaman looks leg-side with the slog, can't connect

Phehlukwayo to Fakhar Zaman, no run, slower ball and Zaman misses the slog, the bad bounce gives de Kock a blow on his finger! Importantly for SA, it's a dot ball