George Linde, Aiden Markram star for South Africa as Proteas level T20I series against Pakistan
George Linde (3/23) and Aiden Markram (54) performed brilliantly for South Africa as they beat Pakistan by six wickets in the second T20I of the ongoing 4-match series.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam won the toss and elected to bat in Johannesburg. However, the decision backfired as George Linde dismissed Mohammad Rizwan (0) and Sharjeel Khan inside the first three overs to give the upper hand to the home team.
Azam (50) tried to rebuild the innings, but Pakistan never got the momentum in the first innings. The visitors finished with 140/9 in 20 overs. In reply, Aiden Markram's half-century ensured South Africa won the contest with 36 deliveries to spare.
Brief Scores: Pakistan 140/9 (Babar Azam 50, Mohammad Hafeez 32; George Linde 3/23, Lizaad Williams 3/35) lost to South Africa 141/4 (Aiden Markram 54, Heinrich Klaasen 36*; Usman Qadir 2/26, Hasan Ali 1/16) by six wickets.
George Linde got South Africa off to an excellent start
Mohammad Rizwan was the Man of the Match in the first T20I of the series. However, George Linde removed him on the opening ball of the second T20I. Soon after, Linde picked up Sharjeel Khan's wicket to reduce the visitors to 11/2 in three overs.
Mohammad Hafeez (32) and Babar Azam tried their best to take Pakistan to a defendable score. However, they could not score quickly in their 58-run partnership. Pakistan lost wickets at regular intervals once Linde scalped Hafeez's wicket.
Hasan Ali (12 off 3) hit two back-to-back maximums before Lizaad Williams (3/35) sent him back to the dressing room. Williams ended with a three-wicket haul, while Tabrazi Shamsi (1/22) and Sisanda Magala (1/32) picked up one wicket each.
The Aiden Markram show in Johannesburg
While Pakistan could have made the run-chase a bit more difficult for South Africa by taking some early wickets, Aiden Markram did not give them a single opportunity. The South African blasted a 30-ball 54, smashing seven boundaries and three sixes to take the Proteas to 88/3 in nine overs.
Janneman Malan (15), Wihan Lubbe (12) and Heinrich Klaasen (36*) supported Markram well. Although Petrus van Biljon (2) got out early, George Linde's 10-ball 20* guided South Africa home with six wickets and six overs to spare.
Linde was rightfully adjudged the Player of the Match for his all-round brilliance at the Wanderers. The final two T20Is of the tour will take place in Centurion on April 14 and 16.