Pakistan edge South Africa They won the series 2-1 by winning the thrilling third T20 match in Lahore by four wickets. In front of a packed Gaddafi Stadium, Babar Azam’s brilliant innings and Shaheen Shah Afridi’s early strike left fans in awe as Pakistan chased down the target of 140 with an over to spare for a memorable series win.
Shaheen Afridi’s early strikes ravage South Africa
After winning the toss and coming to bat first, South Africa was shocked by Shaheen’s fast pace from the very beginning. Shaheen struck twice in his first over, dismissing veteran opener Quinton de Kock for a duck and removing Luan-Dre Pretorius moments later to leave South Africa at 0/2 in the opening exchanges. Usman Tariq added to the woes by dismissing the dangerous Reeza Hendricks and Dewald Brevis as South Africa struggled at 38/3 inside eight overs. The pace never recovered for the visitors.
Despite some resistance from Donovan Ferreira, who scored a quickfire 29 off 14 balls, and useful runs from Corbin Bosch (30*), South Africa found boundaries difficult and wickets kept falling at regular intervals. Faheem Ashraf bowled with discipline in the middle overs, taking two important wickets, while Salman Mirza and Mohammad Nawaz took one wicket each. Shaheen returned to take his third wicket, finishing with 3/26 from his four overs, as South Africa collapsed to 139/9 at the end of their 20 overs. The pressure created by Pakistan’s bowlers, especially in the powerplay, set the tone for the hosts and electrified the packed stadium.
Babar Azam chased the anchor with a brilliant innings
The chase was not without its difficulties for Pakistan, as South Africa fought valiantly to stay in the competition. Saim Ayub was out early, but opener Sahibzada Farhan, playing with confidence, revived the innings by partnering with senior batsman Babar. At the same time, Farhan’s stormy 19 runs laid the foundation. salman aghaK33 added significant support. Yet it was Babar who once again proved to be the differentiator on a tense night.
Operating under pressure, Babar combined composure with controlled aggression, collecting singles and dispatching any loose balls expertly. He completed his half-century in just 36 balls, careening the ball with sharp drives and wrist flicks. Babar’s innings of 68 off 47 balls, which included nine brilliant fours, fueled the chase even as wickets kept falling around him in the final overs. South Africa managed to cause panic by dismissing Aga and Babar in consecutive overs, but Usman and Ashraf maintained their composure.
At the end, Pakistan achieved the target of 140 runs with four wickets and six balls remaining.Due to which there was tremendous celebration among the players and fans. The ferocity of Babar’s innings under pressure and on difficult pitches once again took him to the pinnacle of Pakistan cricket. As fans flocked to their captain’s remarkable effort and Afridi’s opening spell, Pakistan’s series win against a determined South African team turned Gaddafi Stadium into a vessel of national pride.
Also read: Pakistan beats South Africa, Babar Azam breaks Rohit Sharma’s T20 record
Here’s how fans reacted:
POTM Brilliant innings of Babar Azam, Classic innings of King Babar 56 ππ#abhinur #BiggBoss19 #Farhana Bhatt pic.twitter.com/GJNeokZRAt
– Abid Mengal (@mengal753) 2 November 2025
Babar Azam’s T20 comeback a hit apart as he puts it now:
β Most runs in T20I history
β Most 4s in T20I history
β Highest 50+ score in T20I history#PAKvSA pic.twitter.com/pm7ZsdVPWe– Shaheen Army of Pakistan (@PakShaheensArmy) 2 November 2025
Became the highest run scorer in the previous game, tops the charts with 50+ in this game π
Babar Azam ends the series on a high β¦οΈπ₯
Like and repost and follow #PAKvSA pic.twitter.com/8IwTIh9KrW– Inspirational Vibes (@Usamaawan179981) 2 November 2025
well played king #Babar Azam pic.twitter.com/dxlTjzkWm3
– Yousaf Shah (@YousafS26210362) 2 November 2025
Well done King Babar Azam pic.twitter.com/dHSUskBnGK
– Aziz (@A_officialk1) 2 November 2025
Babar Azam! That’s it.. this is the tweet!!#babarazam #BabarAzamπ΅ #PAKvSA pic.twitter.com/VPM4PhxSpX
– Tuba (@mayogarlicfries) 2 November 2025
there was a crowd,
There was a classπ―β€οΈπ©Ήπ
Babar Azam was a king. pic.twitter.com/6CqZQkcHAP
β ππβ πβπ«π π (@shehjaar_) 2 November 2025
Babar Azam has never been out of form
He was missing playing with the Z team on flat home pitches βοΈ pic.twitter.com/LdWu9zQ6xT
– Men’s Cricket (@MensCricket) 2 November 2025
The conspiracy against Babar Azam was a severe slap on his face. Everywhere, attempts were made to harm him mentally. he is comfortable with numbers https://t.co/CwiukQvw6P His No. 1 spot was also a conspiracy. What is the strike rate? Let them play in their style. He is now number 1 among T20 batsmen pic.twitter.com/KoF45y3654
– SAK (@EngineerKalam) 2 November 2025
Achievements of Babar Azam in this series.
-Dethroned Rohit Sharma by scoring the most runs in the history of T20
-Dethroned Virat Kohli by scoring the highest 50 runs in the history of T20.
β Dethroned Rohit Sharma by hitting the most number of fours in the history of T20. pic.twitter.com/YSipCL4RG4
– Zahoor Ahmed Dar (@darzahoor_) 2 November 2025
Also read: List of most T20I ducks for Pakistan. Babar Azam and Shahid Afridi
