Opener Saim Ayub hit a thrilling half-century after the pacers starred as Pakistan thrashed South Africa by nine wickets in the second Twenty20 International of the three-match series to level the score at 1-1.
Saim smashed an unbeaten 71 for 38, hitting six fours and five sixes, to help Pakistan chase the paltry target of 111 runs in the 14th over.
Earlier, Faheem Ashraf and Salman Mirza had kept South Africa calm with a brilliant bowling performance.
Pakistan openers Sahibzada Farhan and Saim had seen the team reach 49-0 at the end of the powerplay with a measured approach and no pressure on them.
But right at the end of the period, Corbin Bosch caught Sahibzada lbw with his pace. However, the incoming Babar Azam provoked raucous roars from the crowd, pulling off a brilliant cover.
Saim also continued, bowling Ottneil Baartman for a huge six at long-off as Pakistan closed in on the small target.
The left-hander followed up with a powerful off-side cut for four and a bold move for another maximum, taking 21 runs from the ninth over.
Saim made his first T20I half-century at home off 29 balls in the next over, in which he also lifted spinner Donovan Ferreira over the sheets for six, as Pakistan scored 92-1 at mid-wicket.
After Babar became the leading T20I run-scorer, surpassing India’s Rohit Sharma with 4,323 tuns in 123 matches, Saim sent George Linde and Ferreira for sixes to take Pakistan to the finish line.
Earlier, Pakistan offered a fast bowling masterclass while South Africa received a cheap package after they were put into bat.
Faheem took 4-23, while Salman, replacing Shaheen Shah Afridi in Pakistan’s XI, returned figures of 3-14 and Naseem Shah contributed 2-28.
South Africa’s best batting display came from Dewald Brevis, but the right-hander’s burst was too short to lift the visitors to a competitive total.
They reeled at 31-4 at the end of the powerplay as Salman shook up their top order with immaculate line work, length and subtle movement.
The left-arm striker struck as early as the second ball of the match, deceiving South African opener Reeza Hendricks, who scored a match-winning half-century in the first match, with a swinger that crashed into the stumps.
Naseem pushed the Proteas into further trouble, fooling Quinton de Kock with a slower one, which the right-hander holed off Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha midway through the game.
Salman then returned to trap Tony de Zorzi in the deep before castling Matthew Breetzke with a stunning off-cut.
The incoming Brevis, one of the most promising prospects in global T20 cricket, chased down Pakistan’s bowlers to bring South Africa back into the game, dismissing spinners Mohammad Nawaz and Abrar Ahmed and medium pacer Faheem for attractive sixes, but Faheem undid him with a shorter ball to depart with 25 off 16 against his name.
Faheem then again had South African captain Ferreira drag the ball back to his stumps right at mid-on to leave the visitors at 66-6.
The right-arm spinner bowled Linde again in the same manner two overs later.
South Africa’s struggles continued to increase, with Naseem producing a caught dismissal behind Bosch in the 14th over.
Abrar Ahmed got into the wicket column, thanks to a carrom ball that clipped Nandre Burger’s off-stump before Faheem returned to take a fourth and final wicket from South Africa in the second ball of the 20th over.
Pakistan will look to win the series when they take on South Africa in the third and final match at the same venue on Saturday.
