Pakistani batsmen closed in on victory in the fourth One-Day International (ODI) against South Africa, scoring 132 runs for the loss of one wicket in 24 overs, at The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Sunday.
Opener Imam-ul-Haq is not out with 53 runs on the scoreboard. He is batting alongside Babar Azam at 29.
In the first inning, South Africa’s lower order collapsed under a deadly onslaught from Pakistani bowlers, who restricted Proteas to 164.
Pakistan is playing today’s match without skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed, who was handed a four-match suspension by the International Cricket Council for his ‘racist’ remarks during the second ODI last week. Shoaib Malik is leading the green shirts in today’s match, while Mohammad Rizwan has been called in to replace Ahmed.
Tomorrow, we #PitchUpInPink to fight breast cancer! We've seen some amazing outfits in the recent past & we can't wait to see what you turn up in on Sunday. Catch #SAvPAK at the Wanderers from 10:00. The match is sold out, so catch it live on SS2 & SABC 3. #PinkDay #ProteaFire pic.twitter.com/XawYNy58IV
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) January 26, 2019
Read more: Sarfaraz handed 4-match suspension for breaching ICC’s anti-racism code
As the match kicked off, Pakistan won the toss and opted to field first. Opener Hashim Amla racked up 59 runs before being bowled by Imad Wasim. Skipper Faf du Plessis was caught out at 57 by Muhammad Hafeez off a delivery from young Shadab Khan.
25-year-old Usman Shinwari sent four batsmen back to the pavilion in his sixth and seventh overs, while Shaheen Shah Afridi captured three wickets. Shadab took a total of two, while Muhammad Amir took a single pelt.
South Africa is leading the five-match series 2-1 after they beat Pakistan by 13 runs according to the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method in the rain-hit third ODI at SuperSport Park on Friday. Rain is expected in Johannesburg, and could once again play spoilsport today.
Proteas are decked out in pink kits for today’s Pink ODI to raise awareness about efforts to combat breast cancer. At the end of the first innings, Shinwari also dedicated his 4 for 35 in seven overs to those suffering from cancer.
Teams:
South Africa: Faf du Plessis (captain), Hashim Amla, Reeza Hendricks, Imran Tahir, Quinton de Kock, David Miller, Beuran Hendricks, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Dale Steyn
Pakistan: Shoaib Malik (captain), Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood.
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