Cape Town: Pakistan won the second ODI at Newlands, Cape Town against South Africa and took an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the series. The contributions from Babar Azam (73) and Mohammad Rizwan (80) were crucial in setting a competitive target for the opposition as the team posted a total of 329. In response, South Africa managed to score 248 runs with Heinrich Klaasen playing a valiant knock of 97 runs.
However, a banter between Rizwan and Klaasen marred the match and both were seen getting engaged in a verbal spat. The South African batter was seen irked after a heated exchange with Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf. The issue further escalated with David Miller and Rizwan being involved in the argument as well.
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The tensions flared further with Rizwan and Klaasen pointing fingers at each other. Pakistan star batter Babar Azam intervened in between and tried to defuse the situation. His timely intervention calmed the situation and cooled down Haris Rauf preventing what could have become a big spat.
Once tempers were cooled down the play resumed and Pakistan scored a win over South Africa in the second ODI of the series.
Babar Azam and Rizwan played a pivotal role in Pakistan’s win with the bat as they both scored fifties. Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah bowled lethal spells to dismantle the opposition's batting lineup.
With the triumph, Pakistan won the series against South Africa and ensured their third consecutive ODI series win after their victory against Australia and Zimbabwe. Although Pakistan have taken an unassailable lead in the series, the final ODI is expected to be another high-stakes affair.
