At the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Babar Azam chose to bat first against South Africa after winning the toss. Pakistan announced two lineup changes, appointing Muhammad Wasim Jr. and Muhammad Nawaz in place of Hasan Ali and Usama Mir. Temba Bavuma took the position of Reeza Hendricks as the Proteas’ captain, while Tabraiz Shamsi and Lungi Ngidi took the place of Lizaad Williams and Kagiso Rabada. Pakistan scored 270 runs in the first innings thanks to their skipper and Saud Shakeel scoring half-centuries. Here is a summary of what happened in the first innings.
Jansen strikes for South Africa in the powerplay
To begin the batting, Marco Jansen gave Abdullah Shafique a maiden over. In the next three overs, Imam-ul-Haq and Shafique both hit a four, helping Pakistan find a boundary. Shafique was dismissed by Jansen in the fifth over, drawing the first blood. The opening batsman for Pakistan, facing a back of the length, was trying to hit a pull, but he could only find the fielder at deep backward square leg.
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Jansen gave Babar Azam a warm greeting by bowling two no-balls in a row, one of which was for a four. In the subsequent over, Lungi Ngidi again showed himself to be costly, giving up 10 runs despite hitting two boundaries. Imam was then dismissed by Jansen, earning him his second. Imam gave Heinrich Klassen a narrow miss at the gully. Jansen had a chance to score his third on the first ball thanks to a presentation from Mohammad Rizwan. With a slower ball, Jansen tricked the Pakistani keeper, who played it to Jansen’s right, where he reached the ball but was unable to hold on to the catch. With a four in the ninth over, Rizwan reached his 2000 runs in ODIs.
South Africa takes regular wickets
Following the powerplay, Keshav Maharaj and Aiden Markram bowled in tandem and tightened things up, giving up only 19 runs in four overs (11–14). In the 16th over, Gerald Coetzee entered the attack and quickly had an impact, removing Rizwan. Playing the pull shot, Rizwan became the second hitter from Pakistan to be removed. In just 27 balls, Rizwan scored 31 runs, hitting four fours and one six. The Proteas bowled a few calm overs after taking the wicket, giving up just four runs in two overs.
Babar broke the shackles by smashing Maharaj for a four in the 19th over. Iftikhar Ahmed too smashed Maharaj for a six in the 21st over. Maharaj continued to be expensive as Babar hit him for another six in the 23rd over. Tabraiz Shamsi making a return to the side was introduced in the attack in the 22nd over. The left-arm chinaman dismissed Iftikhar in his third over. Iftikhar was playing the lofted shot over the bowler’s head but mistimed his shot. Klassen from long-on sprinted to his left to complete the catch. Iftikhar scored 21 runs in 31 balls hitting a four and a six each. Babar completed his third fifty of the tournament in the following over. In the 28th over, Shamsi claimed his second wicket following a successful review that removed the half-centurion. Babar struck four fours and one six to score fifty runs off 65 balls. After 30 overs, with Pakistan battling at 151-5, drinks were taken.
Shadab and Shakeel start to accelerate
Following two quiet overs that yielded just six runs, Shadab Khan and Saud Shakeel made the decision to target the South African spinners. In the 32nd over, Shakeel struck a four off the bowling of Shamsi. After rejoining the assault, Shadab hit Maharaj for a four and a six in his opening over of the spell. In the next over, Shadab struck Shamsi for a six. In the 35th over, Shakeel struck a four off Maharaj’s bowling. During this time, Shamsi and Maharaj let up 35 runs in four overs. In the 36th over, Coetzee came in to replace Shamsi, but the pacer too went for runs, giving up nine in his first over. In his second over of the period, he was smacked for two fours by Shadab and Shakeel. In the 40th over, the South African pacer made a dramatic comeback to dismiss Shadab. Shadab blasted two sixes and three fours to score 43 runs in 36 balls. In the 41st over, Shakeel reached his half-century mark. Coetzee was hit for a six by Mohammad Nawaz. In the 43rd over, Shamsi got rid of Shakeel, limiting Pakistan to a meagre total.