South Africa Beat Pakistan by 11 Runs in First T20, Lead Series 1-0

South Africa defeated Pakistan by 11 runs in the first T20I of the series, taking a 1-0 lead. After winning the toss and opting to bat first, South Africa posted a challenging total of 183/9 in their allotted 20 overs. In response, Pakistan was restricted to 172/8, falling short of the target by 11 runs.

In Durban on Tuesday, South African captain Heinrich Klaasen won the toss and chose to bat. However, the start was not ideal as three batters were dismissed with the score at just 28. It was then that David Miller took charge, playing an outstanding knock. He was well supported by Klaasen and George Linde at the other end.

Klaasen was dismissed for 12, but Miller continued his dominant innings, forming a rapid 31-run partnership off 16 balls with Linde. Miller's blistering innings of 82 runs off 40 balls included 4 fours and 8 sixes before he was dismissed by Shaheen Afridi. Linde contributed a quickfire 48 runs off 24 balls, helping South Africa reach a total of 183 runs.

For Pakistan, Shaheen Afridi and Abrar Ahmed each picked up 3 wickets.

Chasing a target of 184, Pakistan had a rocky start as captain Babar Azam was dismissed for a duck. Mohammad Rizwan steadied the ship with a slow-paced 74 runs off 62 balls. Saim Ayub added 31 runs off 15 balls, but the chase was always behind the required rate.

Pakistan's batting faltered under pressure, with George Linde being the key contributor with the ball. Linde's excellent bowling spell saw him take 4 wickets, preventing Pakistan's batters from building any significant partnerships. As a result, Pakistan was bowled out for 172 in 20 overs, falling short by 11 runs.

South Africa now leads the series 1-0, with the next match coming up.