South Africa opener Aiden Markram struck a brisk half-century as the hosts levelled the four-game T20 series against Pakistan with a commanding six-wicket win in the second match at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Monday.
Pakistan elected to bat, but some poor shot selection saw them restricted to 140-9 in their 20 overs, well below par on one of the best batting wickets in the country.
South Africa never looked troubled in their reply as they reached their target with 36 balls left in a comprehensive win for a side missing seven leading players who are either injured or have been released to play in the Indian Premier League.
Pakistan’s innings got off to a bizarre start when in-form opener Mohammad Rizwan danced down the wicket to left-arm spinner George Linde (3-23) off the very first ball and was caught at mid-off by Markram.
Captain Babar Azam (50 from 50 balls) and Mohammad Hafeez (32 from 23) were the only batsmen to manage decent scores as seamer Lizaad Williams (3-35) and leg-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi (1-22) kept a lid on the scoring.
Markram led the reply as he blasted 54 from 30 balls, with 46 of his runs in boundaries as he hit seven fours and three sixes.
Stand-in skipper Heinrich Klaasen (36 from 21 balls) took his side past the finish line as he added 49 in 3.4 overs in a fifth wicket partnership with Linde (20 from 10).
Klaasen gave his bowlers credit for the result, as they restricted Pakistan to a total well below par.
"Our execution was spot on.The wicket is good. For me it was a 180-190 wicket. I thought our bowlers bowled extremely well today and the message was to be positive."
It was a forgettable day for Pakistan batsman Sharjeel Khan, who returned to the national team after more than four years away. He had been banned for his involvement in a Pakistan Super League spot-fixing scandal in 2017. His initial five-year ban was reduced by half on appeal.
