South Africa produced a commanding performance to crush Pakistan by eight wickets in the second ODI at Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium on Thursday, leveling the three-match series 1-1. The Proteas chased down the 270-run target with 59 balls to spare, showcasing their batting depth and composure.
Quinton de Kock starred with a brilliant unbeaten 123 off 119 balls, anchoring the innings from start to finish. His knock, decorated with eight fours and seven towering sixes, guided South Africa to a comfortable victory after a solid platform was laid by openers Lhuan-dre Pretorius and de Kock, who added 81 runs for the first wicket.
Pretorius played a breezy 46 from 40 balls before being caught behind off Mohammad Wasim Jr, giving Pakistan a brief opening. However, Tony de Zorzi joined de Kock to put the chase beyond reach with a commanding 153-run stand for the second wicket. De Zorzi’s fluent 76 off 63 balls included nine fours and three sixes before he fell to Faheem Ashraf in the 35th over.
Skipper Matthew Breetzke then joined de Kock to complete the formalities, finishing unbeaten on 16.
Earlier, Pakistan struggled early against South Africa’s pace attack after electing to bat. Nandre Burger ripped through the top order, removing Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, and Mohammad Rizwan inside five overs to leave the hosts reeling at 22 for 3.
Saim Ayub and Agha Salman staged a brief recovery with a 92-run partnership, but Corbin Bosch’s breakthrough in the 25th over halted Pakistan’s progress. Saim scored a steady 53 off 66, while Agha top-scored with 69 from 105 balls. Mohammad Nawaz added late fireworks with a quickfire 59 off 59 deliveries, featuring four sixes, as Pakistan posted 269 for 9 in their 50 overs.
Burger was the standout bowler for South Africa with figures of 4 for 46, while Nqabayomzi Peter took 3 for 53 and Bosch chipped in with two wickets.
The two teams will now face off in the decisive third ODI at the same venue on Saturday, with the series finely balanced.
