Rain helped South Africa to a sixth straight victory over Pakistan in limited-overs cricket on Wednesday as the home team won the opening Twenty20 by four runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method.
The weather interrupted with Pakistan on 60-2 after 9.1 overs chasing South Africa’s 153-7 in their tour-opening game at the Wanderers. The players could not get back on and South Africa has now won seven of its last eight limited-overs games against Pakistan following their recent series in United Arab Emirates.
South Africa appeared to have wasted a 72-run opening partnership between Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla to post a modest score.
However, as Pakistan was about to launch its attack, J.P. Duminy removed Nasir Jamshed for 18 with a diving caught and bowled to break his threatening partnership with captain Mohammad Hafeez (13 not out), and the rain came soon after.
Umar Ukmal was stranded on seven not out with Hafeez when the rain, which delayed the toss for around 30 minutes, returned for good.
Earlier, South Africa’s De Kock made 43 off 33 and Amla added 31 off 20 to send South Africa racing away.
Pakistan’s spinners pulled it back with Hafeez (2-25) removing Amla and De Kock within nine runs of each other. Shahid Afridi’s quicker ball then rattled Henry Davids’ stumps.
Captain Faf du Plessis attempted to reignite the innings with his 22 and David Miller helped with some late big hitting. The left-hander struck a six and two fours in his 19 from 11 balls and Morne Morkel clubbed two boundaries off the last over.
South Africa finished well short of what it should have got after De Kock and Amla served up 14 early boundaries between them in a rapid start.
Amla was bowled in the eighth over by off-spinner Hafeez and De Kock holed out to the Pakistan captain on the long-on boundary and South Africa struggled from then on until Miller connected with a couple of big hits.
Despite some wayward early bowling from their seamers, Pakistan caught and fielded efficiently to back up the spinners’ progress. Seamer Junaid Khan then returned at the death for 2-24.
For Pakistan, Jamshed and Hafeez had combined for a 32-run partnership for the second wicket after Ahmed Shehzad’s early dismissal to put the visitors in position, but off-spinner Duminy ended the promising stand with his third ball.
Lonwabo Tsostsobe had the other wicket when Shehzad chopped onto his own stumps in the third over.
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