Pakistan vs South Africa, 2nd T20I - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

Pakistan bounce back to level the series! It’s all to play for in the decider tomorrow. The first two games have been one-sided affairs - will the third T20I finally bring us a thriller? Join us then for all the action. Until next time, goodbye and stay safe!

Salman Agha: They outplayed us the other day and we didn't give them anything today, it's all set for the final round. I'm very happy with that. Hopefully, we have a fantastic final. We bowled really well upfront, you take four wickets upfront, you're always going to win a game. The other night we didn't bowl well when we started and then we were chasing the game. Today, we bowled really well and they were chasing the game. This is what happens all the time in T20, if you pick early wickets then you mostly go on to win. Everyone bowled really well today and if you look at Naseem, he is working so hard and he is learning new things every single day. I am very happy for him. He is someone who we have like a backup of Shaheen. He is becoming more of a front-line bowler. He (Ayub) is someone who you have to give sometime. Because he is someone who can play for Pakistan for the next 10 years. We are hoping that he can continue and put more of these kinds of innings in the future and become the player we want him to be.

Donovan Ferreira: We were just not good enough with the bat. But it does help that there's not a lot of time to think about and to analyse it much. It's really important that we just put this behind us, come tomorrow and it's a good day. We can take some learnings out of the wickets. It got a lot better in the second innings and the dew settled in, there's more things like that that we can take and use to our advantage. From a cricket point of view, you just mark it and you move on. (Referring to the series-decider tomorrow) Yeah, it does. That's part of the game. Pressure, you need to cherish it.

Salman Mirza | Player of the Match: The plan was simple to bowl within the stumps and bowl according to the pitch. Very early we found that the ball is holding and turning, so we used our variations. When you come back after a long break and give a match-winning performance then it is very satisfying. The slower one that bowled Matthew is the one I enjoyed the most.

Stats by Shashikant Singh

Lowest 1st innings total for South Africa
98 vs SL, Colombo, 2018
101/7 vs AUS, Melbourne, 2014
106/8 vs IND, Thiruvadram, 2022
110 vs PAK, Lahore, 2025*
113/6 vs BAN, New York, 2024

Most wickets by PAK seamers in a T20I innings
9 vs SA, Centurion, 2021
9 vs IND, New York, 2024 WC
9 vs SA, Lahore, 2025*

- This is the first time six South African batters were dismissed bowled in an innings, and the second time Pakistan bowlers picked six wickets via bowled after they dismissed six Australian batters at Abu Dhabi in 2018.

Most runs in T20 internationals
4234* - Babar Azam
4231 - Rohit Sharma
4188 - Virat Kohli
3869 - Jos Buttler
3710 - Paul Stirling

Saim Ayub’s score vs SA in T20Is
31 (15)
98* (57)
37 (28)
71* (38)

22:48 Local Time, 17:48 GMT, 23:18 IST: The game was effectively decided when South Africa were bundled out for just 110. Pakistan only needed to bat sensibly and their openers did exactly that. Saim Ayub came out with intent, while Farhan, who had an early reprieve off the second ball, started cautiously before shifting gears. The pair put on a 50-plus stand which all but sealed the result. Corbin Bosch eventually broke the partnership, bringing Babar Azam to the crease to a loud cheer. Babar played the supporting role as Ayub continued to find the boundaries and finished the chase in 13.1 overs. Earlier, it was Salman Mirza, coming in for Shaheen Afridi, who set the tone with a superb new-ball spell, taking three wickets in the powerplay. Faheem Ashraf complemented him perfectly, claiming four wickets through the middle and late overs to wrap up a dominant performance. Post-match stuff coming up..