SA Pak T20 1: Tsotsobe, Ingram And Duminy Fashion Win for SA against Pakistan

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Sreelata YellamrazuOct 27 2010

South Africa rallied into the contest in the first Twenty20 of the Pakistan South Africa series as some unexpected hands joined forces.

jp duminy takes a catch

The two cricket teams were playing an additional Twenty20 match in addition to the one scheduled to raise funds for flood victims in Pakistan. But the result would have pleased South Africa immensely at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Pakistan got off to a relatively good start before Sputh Africa applied the brakes first through Lonwabo Tsotsobe and then through the South Africa Twenty20 captain, Johan Botha, with both bowlers picking up three wickets as Pakistan struggled to get a grip on their downward spiral. And Pakistan failed to push on despite Shahid Afridi and Misbah ul Haq, the two Pakistan captains, trying to inject some much needed momentum only for Pakistan to taper away to leave South Africa with a target of 120.

But South Africa did not have the brightest of starts either, reduced to twenty-six for three when Graeme Smith failed to stop a ball from Mohammad Hafeez from crashing into his stumps and Shoaib Akhtar rattling the top order with two wickets.

Colin Ingram and JP Duminy thereafter put together a vital sixty-six run partnership that not only stemmed the fall of wickets but also, stabilized the innings for South Africa. Ingram remained unbeaten on forty-six runs in an innings that included two sixes while Duminy made forty-one to add to his own catches earlier in the match. David Miller did his bit in the end to ensure South Africa were off to a winning start in the UAE by six wickets with ten balls left to spare.

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