South Africa defeated Pakistan by 11 runs in the first T20I match, which was held on December 10, 2024 at Kingsmead Durban.
South Africa scored 183/9 in 20 overs with the help of David Miller, who scored an impressive 82 runs off 40 balls.
In response to that, Pakistan managed only 172/8 in the 20 overs, resulting in the loss. Mohammad Rizwan was the top scorer from Pakistan with 74 off 62 balls.
South Africa’s George Linde was titled Player of the Match for his all-round performance, scoring 48 off 24 balls and he also took 4 wickets for 21 runs.
Linde made his comeback to the South African team after 3 years. He was the undisputed player of the match.
Pakistani bowlers like Shaheen Shah Afridi and Abrar Ahmed were able to take down Rassie van der Dussen, Reeza Hendricks, and Matthew Breetzke early in the game. But not able to take down Miller, who lead the batting for Africa.
All in all, it was a thrilling match with excellent performances from both teams. We are hoping to see more of such performances in the upcoming series matches.