Hafeez, Imam motivate Pakistan to hard-battled win

Hafeez, Imam motivate Pakistan to hard-battled win

In a diversion that had a considerable amount of force shifts, Imam-ul-Haq (86) and Mohammad Hafeez (71*) played essential hands to direct Pakistan past the end goal by five wickets against South Africa in the first ODI in Port Elizabeth. The guests pursued down the objective of 267 in 49.1 overs.

At 185 for 2, with Imam Hafeez still at the wrinkle, Pakistan looked on course to post their first win against South Africa on the present visit. At that arrange, Imam avoided down the track and broke one towards cover where Reeza Hendricks snatched a sharp catch. The wicket of Imam gave South Africa little lucky opening to make a rebound.

Hafeez, however, kept on playing with positive plan. He smacked Duanne Olivier for a six and after that pursued the track to hang Imran Tahir for another six. In any case, there was another curve in the story when Shoaib Malik, the veteran batsman, edged one onto the stumps off Andile Phehlukwayo while Sarfraz Ahmed was prised out LBW by Imran Tahir. The Pakistan skipper took the survey however without much of any result.

Pakistan required somebody to assume the liability and guide them past the last obstacle. It was Hafeez who played with a quiet head on his shoulders and in organization of Shadab Khan took the guests home. Hafeez's poise in the trudge overs can be capsulised by how he paddled and hurled Olivier for a few fours in the 47th over.

Imam, the opener, likewise merits a huge offer of the credit for Pakistan's triumph. He and Fakhar Zaman (25) gave Pakistan a blustery begin. The pair was helped by Kagiso Rabada and Olivier's interested strategies of slamming it short into what was a moderate track. Once Fakhar was rejected, Imam found a capable partner in Babar Azam (49). The match squeezed singles and twos and furthermore broke the incidental limit to keep the required rate beneath six.

In the 28th over, against the keep running of play, Reeza Hendricks represented Azam's wicket. In any case, by at that point, the combine had set the stage for Pakistan's triumph.

Prior, Rassie van der Dussen (93) and Hashim Amla (108*) sewed a monstrous remain of 155 for the second wicket as the pair pushed South Africa to a battling complete. Subsequent to choosing to bat, South Africa made a fairly wary begin. It was Hendricks, who attempted to raise the stakes with flicks and the periodic drive. In the tenth over, Amla participated in the demonstration by expertly bisecting the holes to punch and control it to the limit sheets.

Looking for wickets, Pakistan even took a frantic audit for a LBW against Amla in the eighteenth over just for replays to affirm that the ball pitched outside the line of leg stump. Be that as it may, in the equivalent over, Shadab Khan prised out Hendricks by enticing him to play the trudge clear just for the opener to squeeze out a best edge to the square leg defender.

At that point, van der Dussen, on his ODI make a big appearance, united with Amla to string together a significant association. The combine needed to bargain in an eating regimen of singles and twos. It was just in the trudge overs that van der Dussen chose to press the quickening agent pedal by tonking Usman Khan for a four and a six. Shockingly, he couldn't achieve the pined for three-figure stamp on his ODI make a big appearance as he was removed by Hasan Ali in the 47th over.

Amla, in any case, could achieve the achievement in the 48th over with a six off Mohammad Hafeez. Pakistan were exceptionally taught in natural climes. Shadab gave away only 41 keeps running in his standard of 10 overs while Hasan discovered turn around swing with the old ball. Subsequently, South Africa could gather only 76 keeps running off the last 10.

The home side attempted to adjust to the common conditions. South Africa were additionally around 20 runs shy of a decent aggregate. For the guests, Port Elizabeth kept on being a cheerful chasing ground as they posted their fourth ODI win against South Africa at the ground.

Brief scores: South Africa 266/2 of every 50 overs (Hashim Amla 108*, Rassie van der Dussen 93; Shadab Khan 1-41) lost to Pakistan 267/5 in 49.1 overs (Imam-ul-Haq 86, Mohammad Hafeez 71*; Duanne Olivier 2-73) by five wickets