Mohammad Hafeez’s 63-ball 71 helped Pakistan finish off their chase of 267 in the first one-day international against South Africa in Port Elizabeth and take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Hafeez, who was also adjudged Player of the Match, said after the game that South Africa’s 266/2 in 50 overs was below par even as Hashim Amla cracked a 100 and Rassie van der Dussen scored 93 on debut.
“It’s a team effort,” Hafeez said. “It was not a par score on this track, so we were confident chasing it. To be very honest, we were very sure as a team we should chase this one. The start given by Fakhar and Imam(-ul-Haq) was brilliant, Babar (Azam) gave us momentum.”
Opener Imam-ul-Haq (86) and No.3 Azam (49) laid a platform for the likes of Hafeez to capitalise on, which they did successfully.
Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed also credited his batsmen for their first win of the tour. “The batting was very responsible,” Ahmed said. “In the middle overs, Shadab (Khan) was great, as well as Imad (Wasim). And the way our fast bowlers bowled was very good.”
