SA vs PAK: George Linde Traps Pakistan As South Africa Level T20 Series

Pakistan opening batsman Mohammad Rizwan fell into a trap off the first ball of the match and the tourists never recovered as South Africa romped to a six-wicket win with six overs to spare in the sec

Linde finished off a good day by scoring 20 not out off ten balls. Pakistan captain Babar Azam made 50 and shared Pakistan’s only productive partnership, 58 off 49 balls for the third wicket, with Mohammad Hafeez (32).

"Aggression cost us the game," said Babar after five of his batsmen fell to catches when they mistimed big hits. "Early wickets cost us and the South Africans bowled really well," he said.

Klaasen said the execution of South Africa’s bowlers was "spot on". He singled out fast bowler Sisanda Magala, who had a nightmare first over, starting with three no-balls and then bowling three wides in conceding 18 runs. "He begged me for another over," said Klaasen. "He said, 'I'm your guy today and he proved it."

Magala's next three overs, including two at the 'death', cost only 14 runs and he took the key wicket of Babar, his first in international cricket.

Klaasen said the message to the South African batsmen was to be positive and to base their approach on the quality of the pitch rather than the runs required.

"We want to play aggressive cricket but not cowboy cricket," he said, pointing out that he tempered his aggression after Qadir’s double strike. The series moves to nearby Centurion for the final two matches, on Wednesday and Friday.