He took 4 wickets for 21 runs in his 4 overs, nearly claiming a hat-trick in the process.
MI Cape Town all-rounder George Linde marked an impressive return to international cricket after three years, leading South Africa to an 11-run victory over Pakistan in the first T20I at Kingsmead, Durban. Linde impressed with both bat and ball. With the bat, he scored a quick 48 runs off 24 balls, contributing significantly to South Africa’s total.
David Miller also played a key role, smashing 82 off 40 balls with eight fours and four sixes. His innings provided the backbone for South Africa’s score, even though they lost wickets regularly.
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Pakistan’s chase of 183 was led by captain Mohammad Rizwan, who top-scored with 74. However, he didn’t get much support from his teammates, and Pakistan ended up falling short, finishing at 172/8.
Linde’s performance with the ball was a major factor in Pakistan’s defeat. He took 4 wickets for 21 runs in his 4 overs, nearly claiming a hat-trick in the process. His bowling was crucial in slowing down Pakistan’s chase and increasing the required run rate.
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After the match, Linde shared a funny story about how he missed the team bus before the game. His phone was 15 minutes behind, so he arrived late and saw the bus leaving.
Luckily, a police escort helped him catch up with the team. Linde’s light-hearted story added a personal touch to his impressive performance, making his match-winning display even more memorable.
“For some reason my phone was 15 minutes behind time. I had thought to myself, ‘OK, at four o’clock I’m going to walk down and I’m going to get into the bus nice and early. And then as I came out of the team hotel I saw the bus leaving, and that feeling was not great. Luckily there were police escorts and they took me to the bus. Actually, no one realised I’m not on the bus, which was actually quite cool. Because they obviously thought I’m on the bus. It was embarrassing, but I reckon for the next game I might just be late again!,” said Linde.
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