David Miller and Tabraiz Shamsi put in excellent shifts but unfortunately in a losing cause against Pakistan who won by 4 wickets to clinch the three-match T20I series 2-1.
The hosts came up against a plucky South African bowling attack, but it wasn’t enough as Pakistan reached their target with eight balls to spare.
However, a gritty and heroic performance from David Miller redeemed SA’s innings at a time when they were reeling after losing their top six wickets inside the first eight overs of the game.
Miller was a one-man army on a day that the Proteas needed him the most and he single-handedly reignited the visitors’ innings to score a scintillating 85 not out.
The Proteas were almost down-and-out when they dropped to their knees on 48-6, before all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius (9) was bowled by Zahid Mahmood in the 11th over.
From there on, it was a lone battle for Miller, who played intelligently and confidently to drive his side to their respectable total of 164-8.
SA’s top-order struggled against Pakistan’s swing and turn early on in the innings, with JJ Smuts (1) and Heinrich Klaasen (0) both mistiming and top-edging Mohammad Nawaz’s and Mahmood’s spin deliveries respectively to get caught out at close range.
Nawaz also bowled Reeza Hendricks (2), while Mahmood picked off SA’s initial hopeful, Janneman Malan (27), with an LBW. Malan was scoring steady runs, hitting three 4s and one 6, before playing too hastily and succumbing to the drastic turn in the wicket.
Pite van Biljon (16) hit three consecutive fours in style off pacer Hasan Ali, before an untimed slog got him bowled on the very next delivery.
With Miller coming in, SA was banking on all-rounders Pretorius and Andile Phehlukwayo to stick around and bat in tandem with the 31-year-old.
Phehlukwayo (0) was unluckily caught out off spinner Usman Qadir after a sweep-shot went rocketing to the boundary to one of the only fielders on the outskirts of the field. It would’ve traveled for a six, otherwise. Pretorius’s wicket followed three overs later.
Miller then had to forge something out of nothing for the remainder of the innings, while rotating the strike with tail-enders Bjorn Fortuin and Lutho Sipamla.
It’s rare for a side to be bowled out in a T20 game, but Miller prevented the Proteas from suffering that embarrassing fate.
The Dolphins star cleverly changed his approach against the Pakistani spinners when they were flying high in confidence.
Miller altered his guard in front of the wickets and stood more in front of the off-stump, since the balls were turning so sharply down the leg.
That alteration immediately told a tale in itself of something special brewing within Miller’s perseverance and it came to fruition as he smashed five 4s and seven 6s – including four 6s in the final over – to guide his side home.
With the ball, Tebrais Shamsi was superb with his left-arm wrist spin, as he has consistently been the whole series. He took exemplary figures of 4-25 at an economy rate of 6.25, the most inexpensive rate of the match.
However, if it wasn’t for Miller’s gallant performance with the bat, neither Shamsi nor the other bowlers wouldn’t have had much to defend in the first place.
