Babar Azam’s Brilliance Seals Series Victory for Pakistan in 3rd T20I Clash Against South Africa

In a thrilling finish, Babar Azam played a magnificent inning, scoring 68 off 47 balls, leading Pakistan to a four-wicket victory over South Africa in the third and final T20 International in Lahore on Saturday, thereby securing the series 2-1.

Opting to bowl first, Pakistan contained the visitors to 139 for nine in their allotted 20 overs and successfully chased down the target with six balls to spare.

Having seemed out of form in the first two matches of the series, this being his first appearance in the T20 side this year, Babar delivered a game-winning performance on a pitch favoring seam bowlers.

He forged a pivotal 76-run partnership for the third wicket with captain Salman Agha, who scored 33 off 26 balls, paving the way for the hosts’ triumph.

“This innings was much needed,” Babar shared during the post-match presentation. “I trusted my abilities, and the team had faith in me. I was anticipating such a performance.”

He added, “Pressure is part of the game. It’s about managing it, and I aimed to fulfill the team’s requirements by adjusting to the situation. We focused on building partnerships, and it paid off.”

While a few South African batsmen got off to good starts, they couldn’t prevent wickets from tumbling at regular intervals.

The standout for South Africa was Reeza Hendricks, who scored 34 runs, followed by Corbin Bosch with an unbeaten 30, and captain Donovan Ferreira with 29 runs.

Pakistan’s seamer, Shaheen Shah Afridi, was instrumental in the early overs, taking two wickets in the first over and concluding with figures of 3-26.

Looking forward, the two teams are set to commence a three-match One-Day International series in Faisalabad on Tuesday.

“We fell short with the bat once again,” Ferreira commented. “Our bowlers fought hard until the end, but we were short on runs.”

Published on November 2, 2025.