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FAISALABAD: Pakistan skipper Shaheen Afridi hailed batters for propelling his side to victory over South Africa in the first ODI of the three-match series here at Iqbal Stadium on Tuesday.
Set 264, Pakistan hit the winning runs on the loss of eight wickets with two balls to spare. For the home side, Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha starred with the bat, both scoring gutsy half-centuries.
Rizwan top-scored with 55 from 74 balls with the help of six fours, while Salman Ali Agha hit five boundaries and a six on his way to 62 from 71 balls.
After being put into bat, South Africa’s innings folded for 263 in 49.4 overs, courtesy of Abrar Ahmed’s and Naseem Shah’s three wickets.
Speaking in the post-match presentation, Shaheen, who was leading the ODI side for the first time, shed light on the team’s victory.
“I think it’s a normal game for me and nothing special. Whatever the situation, just do your best and nothing more. I think we thought maybe we’ll get some help early on with the ball, and there will be dew in the second innings, but it totally changed,” he said.
The skipper praised the batters for taking the team out of trouble and aimed to avoid repeating the mistakes that had happened during the chase.
“I would give credit to our batter; they handled it well. We need experienced batting like this. Credit goes to them, they batted really well on a tough surface.”
“That always happens, but we’ll try to make it not happen again. Thanks to the Faisalabad crowd. Cricket here after a long time, and thank you for coming out in big numbers,” Shaheen concluded.
READ: Agha, Rizwan and bowlers help Pakistan beat South Africa in ODI series opener
