Karachi Weather Today: Pakistan Thrash South Africa
With the Champions Trophy approaching, the high-scoring matches in the tri-series have set the stage for an exciting tournament, and Pakistan's record-breaking chase has given them a boost in confidence, as they prepare to face New Zealand in the final, under the pleasant karachi weather today.
Pakistan achieved a record-breaking chase of 353-5 to defeat South Africa by six wickets in the first match of a tri-series in Karachi, with centuries from Salman Ali Agha and Mohammad Rizwan, amidst the pleasant karachi weather today.
The match saw a total of 707 runs scored in 99 overs, with the home side successfully chasing down the big target with an over to spare. This victory took Pakistan to the final of the tri-series against New Zealand, with the matches played so far indicating that the Champions Trophy will be a high-scoring tournament. The two venues used for the tri-series, Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore and National Stadium in Karachi, will also host the Champions Trophy, with the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium as the third venue.
South Africa coach Rob Walter said that batters will take heart from the performances in the past two games, and as a bowling unit, they need to work on creating more pressure and forcing batters to take risks. Walter added that more totals in excess of 350 are on the cards if the batting conditions and flat decks become the norm at the Champions Trophy venues. The flat tracks in Pakistan are expected to result in high scores, with each of the three league games in the tri-series seeing the team batting first going past the 300-run mark.
Pakistan's Shaheen Shah Afridi, Saud Shakeel, and Kamran Ghulam have been fined and handed a demerit point each for separate Level 1 breaches of the ICC's code of conduct. Afridi was fined 25% of his match fee for "inappropriate physical contact" with Matthew Breetzke during a match in Karachi. Saud Shakeel and Kamran Ghulam were fined for celebrating too close to Temba Bavuma after his dismissal.
The win was Pakistan's highest ever ODI chase, surpassing the 349-4 they scored against Australia in 2022. Pakistan will now play New Zealand in the final of the tri-series on Friday, looking to continue their winning momentum in the tournament.
