After losing the T20I series 2-0, Pakistan made a strong comeback by winning the first match of the ODI series. Thanks to Salman Agha’s four-wicket haul, Mohammad Rizwan’s side managed to restrict the hosts to 239 runs. During the chase, Agha played a brilliant knock of 82 runs and he earned himself the Player of the Match award for his all-round performance.
Haris Rauf dropped a dolly against South Africa
However, the match didn’t turn out great for Haris Rauf. He bowled seven overs but remained wicketless. Additionally, he had an embarrassing moment when he dropped a simple catch of Marco Jansen. This happened in the 40th over of South Africa’s innings.
Marco Jansen tried to sweep Abrar Ahmed’s delivery but got a top edge. The ball went in the air and came toward Haris Rauf, who didn’t need to move much to catch it. However, it slipped out of his hands and bounced away. As he was leaning backward, he couldn’t attempt the catch again.
Watching such an easy catch being dropped, the reaction of two female spectators went viral. One of them started clapping after seeing the opposing player drop the catch, while the other, covered her mouth with her hand as if mocking Haris Rauf’s fielding.
— Cricket Punter (@ImRahulCSK11) December 19, 2024
However, Marco Jansen couldn’t make much of the lifeline. He added only two more runs to his total before being caught by Shaheen Afridi off Abrar Ahmed’s delivery. South Africa’s innings had started brilliantly, as they didn’t lose a single wicket at 70 runs. But Salman Agha turned the game around by taking four quick wickets, leaving the Proteas batting in disarray.
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The Aiden Markram-led side could only set a target of 240 runs for Pakistan. Even that proved to be a challenging chase for Pakistan. Thankfully, Salman Agha stepped up once again, forming a 141-run partnership with Saim Ayub to take the team to victory.
