Pakistan struck a nervy first blow in their three-match ODI series against SA, edging the nail-biting opening encounter by two wickets at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad on Tuesday.
Set 264 for victory, Pakistan were in the driver’s seat for most of the game, though the Proteas fought back late on.
The home side eventually sneaked home with just two deliveries to spare, carrying on from the T20 series where they won the last two matches to secure that series.
The Proteas, who earlier looked set to score about 300 runs, struggled to adapt to a slowing surface through the middle overs and were eventually dismissed for 263 in the 50th over.
Openers Quinton de Kock and Lhuan-dre Pretorius made half-centuries while conditions were at their best with the hard ball.
After a good start by Fakhar Zaman (45) and Saim Ayub (39), who posted 87 for the first wicket, Pakistan then lost three wickets either side of the hundred mark.
Proteas offspinner Donovan Ferreira took the first two wickets and Bjorn Fortuin the third, that of leading batter Babar Azam for seven.
But Mohammad Rizwan (55) and Salman Agha (62) kept them on track, as batting conditions appeared to ease slightly.
Corbin Bosch removed Rizwan, but not before the pair had added 91 to the total.
At that stage, Pakistan needed 67 at about a run a ball, and the tourists needed quick wickets to build pressure.
Lungi Ngidi did get one, that of Hussain Talat, but it came with only 23 runs required from 25 balls. George Linde had Hasan Nawaz stumped, and Ngidi accounted for Agha to have Pakistan at 252/7 with 12 balls left.
More drama followed when Mohammad Nawaz was sent packing by Bosch in the last over, but Pakistan still managed to get over the line.
Fortuin was tight on the evening, as were the other Proteas spinners.
As was the case in the T20s, SA lost the toss and were asked to bat with three debutants — Pretorius, Sinethemba Qeshile and Ferreira — in their line-up.
Pakistan’s decision appeared to benefit the Proteas as their innings started swiftly with Pretorius compiling a breezy 57.
The left-hander has burst onto the international scene, performing well at the Test level, but has struggled in T20Is.
This time he dovetailed well with fellow left-hander De Kock, who was playing his first ODI since the 2023 World Cup.
The pair maintained a steady pace, and their opening stand reached 98 in 16 overs before offspinner Saim Ayub dismissed Pretorius.
De Kock displayed glimpses of old as he struck 63 in 71 balls, while captain Matthew Breetzke continued his fine form in ODIs, scoring 42 in the middle of the order.
Breetzke, who passed 500 ODI runs in only his seventh match, battled through a tough period in the middle overs and scored well off the back foot.
Qeshile had waited almost seven years to play for SA again since making his T20I debut in March 2019.
There was much hype around him at the time, but he played only two matches and never batted. He drifted back into the domestic system until he was given another chance for this series.
He looked the part, scoring off the first delivery he faced and striking three fours in his run-a-ball 22 before the slowness of the pitch saw him spoon a catch off Mohammad Nawaz to Fakhar Zaman at backward point.
As the ball became softer, the Pakistan spinners started putting a brake on the Proteas rate.
Legspinner Abrar Ahmed took some punishment early on but came back to collect three wickets, while seamer Naseem Shah claimed three victims.
Bosch hit six fours in his 41 off 40 at the death to ensure the team moved past the 260 mark.
