Pakistan, buoyed by their two-wicket victory in the opening One-Day International (ODI), are eyeing a historic home series win against South Africa as the two sides clash in the second ODI at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, today (Thursday).
The Green Shirts lead the three-match series 1–0 and are one step away from achieving their first-ever ODI series victory against South Africa on home soil. The team management is expected to retain the same playing XI that featured in the first match.
In the series opener, wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan played a pivotal role, scoring a composed half-century under pressure to guide Pakistan to victory. Despite being recently removed from captaincy, Rizwan emphasized team unity, saying, “Shaheen (Afridi) was my captain before and still is. Some things are beyond our control — my focus remains on hard work.”
He added, “During my captaincy, every teammate was a captain too, so nothing has changed. I still share my thoughts with Shaheen whenever needed. Salman Ali Agha and I should have finished the game, but I’m glad we contributed.”
Rizwan also praised the home supporters, noting, “Our fans not only back us but also applaud the visiting team — even South African players were amazed by that.”
Pakistan’s skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi thanked the Faisalabad crowd for their tremendous support and vowed to improve on past mistakes. “It happens with us often, but we’ll try not to repeat such errors,” he said.
Meanwhile, South African captain Matthew Breetzke acknowledged his team’s shortcomings, admitting, “We were probably 20 to 30 runs short of a challenging total, but I’m proud of how our bowlers fought till the last over.”
A win today would hand Pakistan a landmark series triumph and a major boost ahead of the final ODI.
