Pak vs SA 2nd ODI: Shaheens all out at 329

CAPE TOWN: Contrary to their decision in the first one-day international against Pakistan, South Africa decided to bowl first after winning the toss in the second ODI, being played at at Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town.

In the first ODI, Potreas chose to bat first after winning the toss, however, they lost the match.

Pakistan is leading the three-match series by 1-0.

The third and final match of the series will be played at Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg on December 22.

Pakistan’s innings began on a cautious note but suffered an early setback as Abdullah Shafique fell for a duck, caught out at 5 runs. Pakistan lost second wicket at 53 runs when Saim Ayub fell for 25.

Captain Rizwan anchored the innings with a half-century featuring two boundaries and three sixes, supported by Babar Azam, who also scored a measured fifty, including five boundaries. 

The partnership between Rizwan and Azam propelled Pakistan to 168 before Azam was dismissed for 73 runs. Rizwan followed soon after, scoring 80, as Pakistan reached 192 runs.

After losing the toss, captain Rizwan, expressed confidence in setting a challenging target. “We aim to give South Africa a good score to chase,” Rizwan said. “The team’s performance has been improving steadily over the past months.” 

South African skipper Temba Bavuma, meanwhile, vowed to restrict Pakistan to a low total, acknowledging the team’s lapses in the previous game. “We made some mistakes last time, but we are determined not to repeat them,” Bavuma said. 

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Pakistan ODI squad: Mohammad Rizwan (captain & wk), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wk)

South Africa ODI squad: Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma (capt), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Andile Phehlukhwayo, Bjorn Fortuin, Kwena Maphaka, Tabraiz Shamsi.