Records galore as Pakistan thump South Africa in run-fest

KARACHI: Pakistan chased down a daunting 353-run target to thump South Africa by six wickets in the third match of the tri-nation ODI series here at the National Bank Stadium on Wednesday, breaking multiple records in the process.

Batting first in the high-stakes clash, half-centuries from skipper Temba Bavuma, in-form Matthew Breetzke and wicketkeeper batter Heinrich Klaasen powered South Africa to 352/5, their second-highest total against Pakistan in ODIs.

The green shirts, in response, secured an astounding six-wicket victory by pulling off their highest successful run chase in the format, surpassing their previous best of 349 which came against Australia in 2022.

Leading the way for the home side were all-rounder Salman Ali Agha and captain Mohammad Rizwan, who both scored brisk centuries, marking the first such instance of two middle-order batters scoring hundreds in a men’s ODI for Pakistan.

Overall, it was the 27th instance when two Pakistani batters scored a century in a men’s ODI.

The duo also shared a 260-run partnership, which is the highest for any wicket in an ODI run chase for Pakistan, going past Mohammad Hafeez and Imran Farhat, who put together an unbeaten 228-run stand against Zimbabwe in 2011.

Their 260-run stand was also the highest fourth-wicket partnership for Pakistan in men’s ODIs. The previous best was by Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Yousuf, who put together 206 runs against India in 2009.

Furthermore, the match-winning partnership by Agha and Rizwan was the third-highest for any batting position in a men’s ODI for Pakistan, only behind the 304-run partnership between Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq and the 263-run stand between Inzamam-ul-Haq and Aamer Sohail.