Pakistan defeated South Africa by 7 wickets to reach the final of the 2025 ODI Tri Series. Skipper Mohammad Rizwan led from the front, along with Salman Ali Agha as both the batters scored respective centuries as Pakistan chased the target of 353 runs comfortably and confirmed their fixture against New Zealand in the final which is scheduled to be played at Karachi National Stadium on February 14.
Batting first, South Africa posted a total of 352/5 in their 50 overs. For the Proteas, skipper Temba Bavuma got a good start with a knock of 82(96) runs hitting 13 boundaries. Apart from that, Matthew Breetzke also contributed with 83(84) runs, while Heinrich Klaasen top scored with 87(56) runs hitting 11 fours and three sixes as South Africa crossed the 350-run mark while batting first. For Pakistan, Shaheen Afridi took two scalps while Naseem Shah and Khushdi Shah scalped a wicket each.
Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha guide Pakistan to huge run chase
Chasing the winning target, Pakistan got a good start as Fakhar Zaman (41 off 28) and Babar Azam (23 off 19) added 57 runs for the first wicket in 6.1 overs. After that, the hosts lost a couple of wickets in quick succession and were reduced to 91/3 in 10.4 overs. After that, captain Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha took charge of the innings as the duo put up an unbeaten partnership of 264 runs.
Mohammad Rizwan remained unbeaten on 122*(128) runs hitting nine fours and three sixes while Salman Ali Agha scored 134*(103) with 16 fours and two sixes as Pakistan chased the target with an over remaining. For South Africa, Wiaan Mulder took two wickets, while Corbin Bosch and Lungi Ngidi scalped a wicket each.
