Pakistan clinched a thrilling two-wicket victory over South Africa in the first ODI in Faisalabad, taking a 1–0 lead in the series. Chasing a target of 263, Pakistan reached 264 for 8 in 49.4 overs, sealing the win with just two balls to spare.
Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub gave Pakistan a steady start. Fakhar scored 45 off 57 balls, while Saim contributed 39 runs from 42 deliveries. Captain Babar Azam couldn’t make an impact and was dismissed for just 7 runs, which put Pakistan under pressure early in the chase.
The innings was stabilized by Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha, who played crucial knocks in the middle order. Rizwan scored a composed 55 off 74 balls, while Salman Agha anchored the chase with a vital 62 from 71 balls, hitting five boundaries and a six.
Hussain Talat added 22 runs, but a mini-collapse followed with Hasan Nawaz out for 1 and Mohammad Nawaz scoring 9. In the end, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah held their nerves to take Pakistan across the finish line in dramatic fashion.
Earlier, South Africa were bowled out for 263 in 49.1 overs. Pakistan now lead the series and will head into the next match with boosted confidence after this nail-biting win.
