South Africa vs Pakistan 1st T20: Slow & Steady Doesn’t Always Win The Race

Watching the Men in Green play modern-day cricket is like hoping to get blood from a stone. 

On 10th December, the Pakistan cricket team lost another T20 game because of a lack of power-hitting, aggressive mindset, and team spirit. 

In the South Africa vs Pakistan 1st T20, the hosts won the toss and opted to bat first. Despite getting off to a disastrous start, the Proteas managed to put up a humongous total of 183 runs on the board, thanks to Miller’s thrilling 82 off 40 balls. 

As usual, the bowlers did a pretty good job and took wickets at regular intervals, but the mighty South African batting lineup still found chances to score in between. 

Miller and Linde together took their team over the edge and made victory for Pakistan a far-fetched reality. 

While chasing 184-run target, the tourists accumulated 172/8 in the allotted 20 overs despite skipper Mohammad Rizwan’s slow-yet-steady half-century.

The skipper scored 74 off 62 balls in a game where the opponents were batting at a strike rate of 200+. 

Pakistan could have easily won the PAK vs SA 1st T20I if our batsmen would have followed the same approach as their South African counterparts. 

Saim Ayub and Mohammad Rizwan were the only two Pakistani batsmen to get past the 30-run mark. 

Once again, Babar Azam failed to deliver and was dismissed for a duck by Kwena Maphaka. Consistent bad performances by Babar are now raising serious questions regarding his future and skills. 

Earlier this year, he quit being the captain of Pakistan white-ball team so that he could focus on his individual performance. However, that decision hasn’t worked out very well in his favor. 

In 2024, Babar played 22 T20 matches and accumulated a total of 707 runs. His highest score in these games is 75. For a player of his capability, these statistics depict an extremely underwhelming performance. 

It’s time for Rizwan and Babar to rethink their playing strategies and the roles assigned to them.