The people of Pakistan finally got what they desired. They eventually cruised to the finish line with four wickets and one over remaining after Babar Azam took leadership of a faltering Pakistani chase of 140 with an impressive 68 off 47 balls. He helped Pakistan win the series 2-1 against South Africa with his 37th T20I half-century overall, his first since May 2024.

Saim Ayub holed out gently for a six-ball duck, but despite a relatively small pursuit, the game looked far from secure. George Linde was also usually frugal as the visitors started to strain, and Corbin Bosch was Pakistan’s go-to tormentor with a tight pair of overs. Salman Agha and Sahibzada Farhan both had trouble getting to the ball early on, and by the eighth over, the asking rate was getting close to eight.

With nine fours throughout the innings, including three with the sweep, Babar managed to continue relieving the burden. In the interval, Agha’s partnership became the match-winning partnership due to busy running between the wickets. Within five runs of one another, the two missed the finish line, but by that time, they had combined for 76 runs in 52 balls.

In an electrifying first over, Shaheen Shah Afridi broke through Quinton de Kock and Lhuan-dre Pretorius’ defenses, promising a much simpler game. Reeza Hendricks’s workmanlike rearguard, bolstered by cameos from Donovan Ferriera and Dewald Brevis, helped South Africa rebuild. They were struggling at 95 for 7 after Faheem Ashraf smashed through the middle, but Bosch added an undefeated 30 off 23 to give himself and his teammates something to bowl at. Babar made sure it wouldn’t be sufficient.

It’s practically a given that Shaheen will take a wicket in his first over. However, what about two or even three?

Shaheen got one to nip back at de Kock, who only deflected it off the inside edge onto his stumps after he tentatively pushed it, using the swing that vaporizes after a few overs of the innings. A successful opening over would soon become an epic thanks to Shaheen. Usman Tariq, making his debut, completed a simple catch after Pretorius clipped one off the pads first up and then picked out a short, fine leg wonderfully.

And the drama would continue. Two balls later, Dewald Brevis was cut in half by a beautiful delivery that sailed back in and struck his knee. The umpire raised his finger right away, deciding that Shaheen would not appeal and that he didn’t need one. In an amazing start that set the tone for Pakistan, DRS, rather surprisingly, showed it bouncing well over and denied the left-arm quick a third wicket. They would hold South Africa to 22 in the powerplay, their third-lowest in T20I history.

Since returning to the T20I team earlier this year, Mohammad Nawaz has had some of his best play. He entered the assault immediately following the powerplay on Saturday, when he was in a strong position. However, Brevis, who had glimpses of his lethal power during the first T20I’s middle overs, struck him over the sightscreen with his third ball and ended the over with another one over midwicket.

Matthew Breetzke was caught by Nawaz in his second over, but Ferreira, the South African captain, was ready when he returned for his third. As the visitors started to get their innings on track, he was permanently removed from the attack after hitting two sixes and a four. 55 was scored in the five overs that followed the powerplay, with Nawaz’s three leaking 38. It set the stage for a total that could be defended.

Gaddafi’s Babar bedlam

When a wicket fell during this series, the audiences in Islamabad and Lahore shouted and poured out of the grounds as soon as Babar was out. They couldn’t be unglued from their seats at the Gaddafi in the decider. Babar strolled up to the crease after Ayub fell early, energizing the fans. For some time now, Pakistan’s fans have been deluding themselves into believing that this may be the innings that returns him to his former glory, frequently in vain. He started off quite quietly; he didn’t find his first boundary until the ninth ball.

Babar started acting in a different way. When he hit his third boundary by sweeping Linde over fine leg, you read correctly, the outlines of an innings started to form. In the kind of chase Babar is typically designed for, he assumed over after Farhan and then Agha were unable to significantly reduce the strike rate.

He would repeatedly find lavish timing while punishing South Africa for failing to show up for their lines. He deprived the match of its danger by hitting three consecutive boundaries off Ottniel Baartman, the third of which brought up a half-century off 36 balls, like the top of a ketchup bottle finally unscrewing.

Babar stroked him for a boundary over mid-on after slamming one beyond cover for four more runs after Bosch had held Pakistan to just six runs in his opening two overs. Babar scored each of his 68 runs while the crowd, which usually leaves when he is dismissed, remained planted. Only a rare, misplaced jab found deep square leg.