South Africa defeated Pakistan by eight wickets in the second One-Day International (ODI), levelling the three-match series 1–1.

Chasing a target of 269 runs, the Proteas reached the mark easily in just 40.1 overs, thanks to a superb unbeaten century by Quinton de Kock. The opener scored 123 runs off 119 balls, hitting seven sixes and eight fours. Tony de Zorzi contributed 76 runs, while Pretorius added 46.

For Pakistan, Faheem Ashraf and Saim Ayub took one wicket each.

Earlier, after winning the toss at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad, Pakistan chose to bat first and scored 269 for 9 in 50 overs.

Agha Salman top-scored with 69 runs, while Mohammad Nawaz made 59. Saim Ayub added 53, and Faheem Ashraf contributed 28. However, Pakistan’s top order struggled, with Fakhar Zaman dismissed for a duck, Babar Azam scoring only 11, Mohammad Rizwan making 4, and Hussain Talat adding 10.

For South Africa, Nandre Burger was the pick of the bowlers, taking four wickets, while Ngqabutho Mpofu grabbed three, and Corbin Bosch took two.

Before the match, Pakistan made two changes to their playing XI. Abrar Ahmed and Hasan Nawaz were rested, while Faheem Ashraf and Wasim Junior returned to the squad. Captain Shaheen Afridi said the pitch looked good for batting, and the team aimed to post a big score.

South Africa’s captain said they would have batted first if they had won the toss, but were now focused on taking early wickets to put Pakistan under pressure.

The third and final ODI will be played in Lahore in a few days, where both teams will fight for the series decider.

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