Burger’s firepower jolts Pakistan before late recovery

Nandre Burger ripped through Pakistan’s top order with three quick wickets before Salman Agha led an often painfully slow recovery to a total of 269-9 after choosing to bat first in the second one-day international against South Africa at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad on Thursday.

A slow, awkward pitch made batting difficult and although the total appears well below par the home side are firmly in the contest at the halfway stage with conditions expected to become even trickier in the second innings.

Left armer fast bowler, Burger (4-46), struck with the third ball of the match when Fakhar Zaman gloved a pull shot to ‘keeper Quinton de Kock and twice more in his third over when Babar Azam (11) edged to Donovan Ferreira at slip and Mohammad Rizwan (4) was bowled off an inside edge attempting to leave the ball.

But opener Saim Ayub (53) added a mostly painstaking 92 in 20 overs with Salman to repair the early damage before a full-blooded drive against Corbin Bosch resulted in a remarkable, reflex catch by the bowler in his follow-through.

Salman reached his half century from 82 balls with just three boundaries before Bosch ripped through his defences with a straight yorker to bowl him for 69 from 106 balls with five fours.

Hussain Talat meandered to 10 from 20 balls before a chipping a return catch to legspinner Nqaba Peter (8-0-55-3) but, just when it seemed the home side would struggle to go much past 220 at 131-5 with 20 overs remaining, Mohammad Nawaz and allrounder Faheem Ashraf finally started to find the boundary during a sixth wicket stand of 59.

Left hander Ashraf posted a couple of fours and two straight driven sixes in his 28 from just 18 balls before hooking a slower-ball bouncer from Burger to Lhuan-dre Pretorius on the deep square leg boundary before captain Shaheen Afridi slogged his second ball from Peter straight up for the bowler to claim the catch.

Nawaz, however, remained until the final over during which he slog-swept Peter for a pair of sixes and a four before hoisting the penultimate ball back to the bowler to depart for an excellent run-a-ball 59 with three fours and four sixes.

But fast bowler Naseem Shah straight drove the final ball for a third six to take 22 runs from the over and completely transform the target from ‘modest’ to ‘challenging’. Captain Matthew Breetzke’s decision to bowl Peter in the 48th and 50th overs of the contributed was brave but contributed to Pakistan scoring 90 from the final 10 overs.

South Africa made two changes from the XI which lost the opening game of the series by two-wickets with two balls remaining at the same venue on Tuesday with Peter and Burger coming into the team at the expense of Lizaad Williams and Lungi Ngidi.

PAKISTAN: Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wkt), Salman Agha, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi (captain), Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah.

SOUTH AFRICA: Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Tony de Zorzi, Matthew Breetzke (captain), Sinethemba Qeshile, Donovan Ferreira, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Bjorn Fortuin, Nqabayomzi Peter, Nandre Burger.