CENTURION, South Africa: South Africa won a bilateral Twenty20 series for the first time in more than two years when it chased down Pakistan’s 206 on Friday.
Opener Reeza Hendricks’ maiden T20 century, 117 off 63 balls, drove the Proteas to 210-3 with three balls to spare.
Pakistan’s 206-5 was braced by an equally brilliant unbeaten 98 off 57 by opener Saim Ayub, who was desperately unlucky not to notch his maiden T20 century. He was stranded, unable to face the last nine balls of the innings.
South Africa won the series 2-0 with a game to spare for its first T20 series victory since August 2022.
The teams’ combined 416 runs were the most in the 17-year history of their T20 matchups.
Hendricks has been a T20 Protea for 10 years and a prolific scorer and striker but he’d been on a mediocre run of late. When South Africa was 28-2 after four overs, he stepped up.
“First over, five dots and got away, and so the moment I got that away, things started to click,” Hendricks said. I’m happy that I found the middle and things worked out in the end. (It’s) one of those nights, the shots I played came off.”
Hendricks hit 10 sixes and seven boundaries, targeting the shorter boundary on the leg side with pulls and flicks and the odd sweep.
He and Rassie van der Dussen shared a chanceless stand of 157 runs for the third wicket until the 18th over when Hendricks was caught near the midwicket boundary off Abbas Afridi.
Van der Dussen reached his fifty off 33 balls in the same over, and finished the chase with his fifth six, over deep backward square. He was 66 not out from 38 balls.
Pakistan opted to bat first after failing in the chase on Tuesday, and Saim was dropped on 3 in the third over.
He didn’t give another chance. While he lost four partners, Saim put on a show with pulls, flicks, drives, sweeps and even a ramp shot for his 11th and last boundary.
On 98, double his previous best T20 score, he couldn’t get back on strike as Irfan Khan and Afridi blasted the death bowling.
Saim missed out on adding a maiden T20 hundred to the maiden one-day international ton he scored 2 1/2 weeks ago in Bulawayo.
South Africa pacer Dayyan Galiem led on debut with 2-21 but an inexperienced battery — 42 caps between six bowlers — suffered from conceding 15 wides.
The last T20 is on Saturday in Johannesburg.
Hendricks’ maiden hundred leads South Africa to T20 series win over Pakistan
https://arab.news/52g78
Hendricks’ maiden hundred leads South Africa to T20 series win over Pakistan
- Opener Reeza Hendricks scored maiden T20 century to chase Pakistan’s 206 score
- Win in second match earns Proteas first bilateral T20 series win in more than two years
Karim Benzema joins Al-Hilal
RIYADH: Karim Benzema has joined Al-Hilal after leaving Al-Ittihad, the Riyadh club announced early Tuesday.
The former French international was introduced with a post on social media, “Karim Benzema is officially Hilali.”
The 2022 Ballon d’Or winner, who scored eight goals in 14 league matches this season, joined on a free transfer, his new club added.
Though this chapter comes to an end “respect and gratitude will always remain,” the Frenchman said.
“Thank you to the club, the staff, my teammates, and especially the fans for the welcome, the love, and the energy you gave me every day,” Benzema wrote on social media.
“This journey gave me a lot, both personally and professionally. I leave with my head held high, proud to have worn these colors and of everything we shared.”
Benzema moved to Saudi Arabia in 2023 after 14 seasons with Real Madrid. Last season he scored 21 goals as Al-Ittihad won the league.
This season Al-Ittihad trail leaders Al-Hilal by 12 points.
— with input from Reuters
