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Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha emerged as Pakistan's heroes as the Men in Green bounced back from the T20I bashing with a close 3-wicket win in the 1st ODI against South Africa.
While Ayub continued to soar to new heights in a dream debut season, Salman was the man of the hour for Pakistan with his all-rounded effort at Boland Park. Ayub was the guiding light with his swashbuckling 109, with Salman playing a composed 82*, and with the ball returning with figures of 4/32. While chasing 240, Pakistan appeared to be a lost cause after losing Babar Azam (23), Abdullah Shafique (0), Kamran Ghulam (4) and skipper Mohammad Rizwan (1), reducing the team to 60/4 in 19.1 overs. From that moment, Ayub tried to lift Pakistan with Salman displaying grit, giving the visitors a realistic shot at victory that looked beyond belief. But before the window of opportunity opened, South Africa had the chance to shut the door completely. Salman on 6, nicked off Aiden Markram, but Heinrich Klaasen shelled out a sharp chance. Ayub looked scratchy as he uncharacteristically managed to put 31 from 57 deliveries. But from that point, something changed within him. He started to rotate the strike regularly with a couple of occasional boundaries. Salman stayed true to the nature of his game, churning out runs through singles and doubles with power-hitting, an aspect that doesn't come naturally to him. South Africa's quality dropped, and the partnership sparked a new life in Pakistan's hopes of seeing off the game. The Proteas pacers started to falter, with Ayub picking up boundaries off Ottniel Baartman, who was economical till that point. The young southpaw smoked a majestical six over mid-wicket off Kagiso Rabada to celebrate his second ODI hundred in just his third innings. Ayub continued to play with fire as Pakistan inched closer to victory. He eventually paid the cost after holing it to Tabraiz Shamsi off Rabada, walking back with a sensational 109 from 119 deliveries. By the time Ayub returned, all Pakistan needed was to deal with singles to see off the game and go 1-0 up in the series. Earlier in the match, South Africa won the toss and decided to bat. The hosts were coasting along before being greeted with a clinical display from the ball by Pakistan towards the end of the powerplay. From 70/0, Salman's part-time off-spin was enough to run through South Africa's batting order, leaving them tattering at 88/4. Heinrich Klaasen was belligerent and provided a valuable 86(97) to propel the Proteas to 239/9. (ANI)
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