Babar becomes highest T20 run-scorer as Pakistan hammers South Africa

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) – Babar Azam broke Rohit Sharma’s record for most runs in men’s Twenty20s as Pakistan hammered South Africa by nine wickets and leveled their series on Friday.

Saim Ayub returned to form with a belligerent unbeaten 71 off 38 balls as Pakistan raced to 112-1 in just 13.1 overs after bowling out South Africa for 110. Fast bowlers Salman Mirza and Faheem Ashraf shared seven wickets.

The third and deciding T20 is on Saturday.

“They outplayed us in the previous game and we did that today,” Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said. “It’s beautifully set up now and hopefully we’ll have a cracker in the final. We bowled really well up front and when you bowl that well you’re always going to win the game.”

Babar needed nine runs to pass Sharma’s record of 4,231 runs and finished 11 not out. He took the Indian batter’s record when he drove spinner Donovan Ferreira for a single to long-off.

Pakistan recalled Babar for his first T20s in almost a year after Fakhar Zaman was rested. Babar missed the chance in the first match to set the record when he was dismissed for a two-ball duck at Rawalpindi on Tuesday.

Babar has 4,234 runs in 130 T20s, including 36 half-centuries and three centuries. His strike rate of 129 has often been criticized. He missed the Asia Cup in which Pakistan was beaten by India.

Sharma played 159 T20s but quit international cricket’s shortest format after leading India to the T20 World Cup title last year.

Ayub had a horror Asia Cup where he had four ducks and struggled again on Tuesday when he was dropped on zero before South Africa romped to a 55-run win.

But Pakistan persisted with the left-handed opener who finally showed his brilliant power-hitting by smashing his fifth T20 half-century with five sixes and six boundaries. Ayub hit the winning runs with his last six off Ferreira over wide mid-on.

“Saim is someone who can play for the next 10 years and become the player we all want him to be,” Agha said.

Playing Mirza for the rested Shaheen Shah Afridi brought Pakistan immediate success as the left-armer deceived the South Africa top order with his variations.

Reeza Hendricks, who hit a half-century in the first match, was bowled for a two-ball duck by a Mirza delivery that nipped back in sharply.

Quinton de Kock was deceived by Naseem Shah’s slower ball and he holed out to mid-off.

Mirza dropped a sitter from Matthew Breetzke at gully off Shah but made amends when he hit the top of Breetzke’s off stump with another slower ball.

Tony de Zorzi top-edged Mirza’s short ball to short fine leg and South Africa slipped to 23-4 inside the powerplay and couldn’t recover. Mirza took 3-14 Ashraf mopped up with a career-best 4-23.

“There isn’t much time to reflect,” said Ferreira, leading the Proteas in the absence of the injured David Miller. “The wicket got a lot better with the dew settling. You just have to move on.”