Pakistan cricket have not been at their best in the last two years. Premature exits in both of ICC's recent events - ODI World Cup 2023 & T20I World Cup 2024 - has thrown them off the cliff.
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Moreover, head coach Jason Gillespie's resignation was confirmed on Friday. And their recent form in T20Is have been criticised as well, with the team not able to embrace the modern approach to T20 batting which has been a problem.
The batsmen have been accused of playing too conservatively and focusing more on their personal milestones rather than the team's well being. It's been a long time since Pakistan scored 200+ runs in a T20I innings. But that changed on Friday.
Opening batter Saim Ayub starred in the second T20I against South Africa as Pakistan scored their first 200+ total for the first time in 54 T20I innings.
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When did Pakistan last record a 200+ total in a T20I match?
Pakistan last scored a 200+ total in a T20 match way back in 2022. Babar Azam & Co. hosted England in Karachi on September 22, 2022. The hosts aimed for a leveller in the second T20I of the seven-match series, after going down in the series-opener at the same venue.
Chasing 200, Rizwan and Babar came out to bat with a clear plan. England failed to secure a single wicket, as the opening combination did the trick for the home side.
Babar stole the show with a century (110*), while Rizwan bashed a 51-ball 88 from the other end. The run chase saw 16 fours and nine sixes, with 58% of the 203 runs scored, coming in boundaries.
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Their 200+ total against South Africa in the 2nd T20I on December 13, 2024, was scored after a gap 813 days. A lot of the credit goes to Ayub for his unbeaten knock in Centurion. Here is what exactly happened...
What happened in South Africa vs Pakistan, 2nd T20I?
Batting first, Pakistan scored 206/5 in their 20 overs. Ayub was at the thick of it in Centurion, as the visitors scored their first 200+ T20I total in over two years. He scored an unbeaten 57-ball 98 to steer his side to a defendable total.
The young southpaw hit 11 boundaries and five sixes, striking at over 171 to silence his critics. He was ably supported by Babar (31 off 20) and Irfan Khan (30 off 16), as the visitors aim to find the series-leveller, ahead of the final T20I on Saturday.
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Full Schedule for Pakistan tour of South Africa 2024/25
| Match | Date | Time (IST) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd T20I | December 14, 2024 | 09:30 PM | Johannesburg |
| 1st ODI | December 17, 2024 | 05:30 PM | Paarl |
| 2nd ODI | December 19, 2024 | 05:30 PM | Centurion |
| 3rd ODI | December 22, 2024 | 05:30 PM | Johannesburg |
| 1st Test | December 26 - December 30, 2024 | 01:30 PM | Centurion |
| 2nd Test | January 03 - January 07, 2025 | 02:00 PM | Cape Town |
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