George Linde misses team bus, then smashes 48 off 24 and picks three wickets in an over to dump Pakistan

Allrounder George Linde felt he owed South Africa a little extra on Tuesday. He missed the team bus going to Kingsmead for the Twenty20 against Pakistan and needed a police escort to catch up. “It was a little embarrassing,” Linde said. “I felt like I had to deliver for the team today and glad I did.” George Linde (L) celebrates after the dismissal of Irfan Khan (R) during the first T20 international cricket match between South Africa and Pakistan at the Kingsmead stadium in Durban(AFP)

He delivered career-best T20 performances with bat and ball by whacking a 24-ball 48 and taking 4-21 to lead the Proteas to a thrilling 11-run win.

After his first T20 since 2021, Linde said, “A dream comeback.”

South Africa put up 183-9 and Pakistan took the chase to the last over but finished on 172-8.

Pakistan appeared to be saving wickets for a madcap finish. Opener Mohammad Rizwan's steady but slow innings put pressure on his partners to swing hard.

They mainly did. Saim Ayub hit 31 runs off 15 balls, and Tayyab Tahir 18 off 18.

When Tahir left, five overs remained, and Rizwan woke up. In the 17th over, he clubbed Kwena Maphaka for sixes over long-on and long-off.

But in the 18th, left-arm spinner Linde took out three Pakistanis in four balls and thought he finished the over with a hat trick. But Haris Rauf's review showed the ball missing leg stump.

Rizwan hit three boundaries in the 19th over and had bolted from 36 off 44 to 74 off 61. Pakistan reached the last over needing 19 runs.

He was out second ball, miscuing a pull at Maphaka to backward point, and Pakistan hopes died with him.

The Proteas chose to bat and were 104-5 in the 12th over. They would have been worse off without a classic innings from David Miller. He came in when they were two down after nine balls. In the next 12 overs, Miller whacked 82 off 40 balls, including eight sixes and four boundaries.

A six on one knee off Sufiyan Muqeem went over midwicket and the roof. Miller also hit three consecutive maximums off leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed, the middle one over extra cover bringing up his fifty off 28 balls.

Linde's flourish included three sixes in the last over. He was dismissed off the last ball but had blown away his previous best score of 29.

Shaheen Shah Afridi led Pakistan with 3-22.

The second of three T20s is on Thursday at Centurion.

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