Quinton de Kock marked his return to international cricket with a an unbeaten century to spearhead South Africa's eight-wicket victory over Pakistan in the second ODI at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad on Thursday. The win allows the Proteas to level the three-match series at 1-1, setting up a series decider this Saturday. South Africa easily chased down Pakistan's total of 269 for nine, scoring 270 for two with almost 10 overs to spare.
De Kock, who registered his 22nd ODI century off 96 balls, finished on 123 not out. The chase was led by an 153-run second-wicket partnership off 137 balls with Tony de Zorzi, who contributed 76 off 63 balls. The openers, de Kock and teenager Lhuan-dre Pretorius, 46, had already provided a strong reply with an 81-run stand. After de Zorzi was dismissed, de Kock and Captain Matthew Breetzeke calmly guided the side home.
Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat but suffered a disastrous start, reeling at 22 for three in the fifth over. Fast bowler Nandre Burger was the chief troublemaker, of the top order, bagging a career-best four for 46 and removing Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, and Mohammad Rizwan early on. The innings was rescued by half-centuries from the middle order: Saim Ayub, 53 and Salman Ali Agha, 69, put together 92-run fourth-wicket partnership. Mohammad Nawaz then chipped in with a career-best run-a-ball 59 to push the host's total to a competitive 269.
Despite Pakistan's late rally, their total was deemed light on a pitch that made South Africa's batting look like a walk in the park. Aside from Burger's four-for, leg-spinner Nqaba Peter also delivered career-best figures, claiming three for 55 and cleaning up the lower order, including Nawaz. This effort from the bowlers set the stage for de Kock's performance. Pakistan skipper Shaheen Afridi admitted that South Africa's adaptability and superior execution with the bat proved decisive.
The third and final One-Day International will be played at the same venue in Faisalabad on Saturday. This fixture will not only determine the winner of the ODI series but also mark the conclusion of South Africa's all-format tour of Pakistan. This eight-wicket win should provide a psychological boost to the Proteas as they head into the series finale.
