Pakistan defeated South Africa in a nail-biting encounter during the first ODI, winning by 3 wickets.
Chasing a target of 240 runs, Pakistan secured the win in the final over with 7 wickets down. Saeem Ayub was the star of the innings, scoring an impressive 109 runs off 119 balls, including 10 fours and 3 sixes. This marked his second century in ODI cricket.
Salman Ali Agha played a pivotal role with an unbeaten 82 runs, steering Pakistan to victory. Among other batsmen, Babar Azam scored 23, Kamran Ghulam 4, while Mohammad Rizwan and Irfan Khan contributed 1 run each. Abdullah Shafique and Shaheen Afridi were dismissed for ducks.
Earlier, South Africa posted 239 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in their allotted 50 overs. Heinrich Klaasen was the top scorer with 86 runs.
In bowling, Salman Ali Agha shone with 4 wickets, Abrar Ahmed claimed 2, while Shaheen Afridi and Saeem Ayub took 1 wicket each. Salman Ali Agha was named Player of the Match for his all-round performance, scoring 82 runs and taking 4 wickets.
With this win, Pakistan leads the three-match series 1-0. The second ODI will be played tomorrow in Cape Town
