PAK vs SA: Highest Chase In Faisalabad, Fifth Successive Win; Pakistan Kicks Off Shaheen Afridi Era With Thrilling Win

Hyderabad: Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi started his captaincy on a winning note as the team beat South Africa by two wickets in the first ODI of the three-match series, which turned out to be a thrilling encounter. Also, it was Pakistan's fifth successive ODI win over South Africa. It was a record chase at Faisalabad by completing the target of 264 with just two deliveries to go.

Fifth successive win against South Africa

Pakistan toured South Africa last year and registered a clean sweep against the hosts, winning all three matches of the ODI series. The team then again defeated South Africa in the tri-nation series involving New Zealand in February. Under the captaincy of the newly appointed leader, Shaheen Afridi Men in Green continued their winning momentum against South Africa, inking a fifth successive win.

Record chase in Faisalabad

264 was the highest successful chase at the venue, surpassing the previous chase of 245. The record was owned by Pakistan previously, as well as they chased down 245 in a match played against Zimbabwe in 2008. Mohammad Yousuf played a knock of 108 in the match, while Shoaib Malik chipped in with a knock of 88 runs.

Pakistan plays a last-over thriller against South Africa

Batting first, South Africa were all out on 263 runs in the last over. Quinton de Kock (63) and Lhuan-dre Pretorius (57) were the highest run-getters, while none of the other batters managed to muster a fifty. Naseem Shah and Abrar Ahmed picked three wickets each.

The chase of 264 runs went deep as Pakistan suffered a collapse late in the innings. Mohammad Rizwan (55) and Salman Agha (62) put Pakistan in a strong position, but the team was reduced to 252/7 from 241/4, and that made the chase interesting. However, Corbin Bosch took them over the finish line in the last over and Pakistan have now taken 1-0 lead in the three-match series.