Chokers triumph over Pakistan

Bloemfontein- After an emphatic win against Pakistan in their first one day series. The Proteas came up tops as they dominated Pakistan in both batting and bowling. The Proteas are set to prove their consistency in one
day series as De Villiers stated on Sunday that “There’s no need to practice for four days in a row and go into the game feeling tired. We’ve got some momentum and confidence, which we will keep.”

A stand out performance by Colin Ingram who seemed to be in a league of his own as he gradually smashed a stunning 105 runs off 104 balls not out. Ingram scored his third quality ODI century for South Africa with 10 fours in it and most certainly gave the Proteas an upper hand to the game. The skipper AB De 
Villiers scored a thorough 65 runs off 63 balls. With comfortable partnerships from the Proteas they achieved a relatively high total of 315-4 after 50 overs. With Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn not in the picture, the bowling attack of the Proteas was questioned. But Kyle Abbot, Rory Kleinveldt and Ryan McLaren did a successful job by displaying their full potential. Even though Pakistan battered aggressively, they lacked
concentration and played too many uncontrolled shots which led to wickets falling easily. A pivotal role in the
bowling attack was played by Rory Kleinveldt who was on top of his game as he set a personal record of
4-22 for the Proteas. Mention must be made to Ryan McLaren who proved his excellence after taking 3 wickets for only 19 runs. With a run rate of 6.3 per over, the Proteas knew that it was going to be a difficult
task to beat Pakistan as they have a record for constantly winning one day series. However, South Africa claimed victorious after beating Pakistan by a mammoth of 125 runs. It was certainly a well-deserved win by South Africa as they put in the extra effort. Poor decisions made by Pakistan as they won the toss and decided to bowl first, undermining the Proteas batting attack.

Abott is probably going to sit out the next ODI as Dale Steyn is back in action from Wednesday and Morne Morkel might be fully recovered and therefore may start in the next game which implies that Lonwabo Tstostobe may have to be dropped from the starting line-up.  

These elongated breaks between games could be useful for the Proteas to gain a clear conscience and to be confident about winning their second game on Friday night in Centurion.