Pakistan National Cricket Team vs South Africa National Cricket Team Match Scorecard: All 8 Matches, Turning Points

Pakistan did something no team had managed in over a year. In Lahore on October 15, 2025, they bowled South Africa out for 183 chasing 277 and ended the Proteas’ unbeaten run of 10 consecutive Test wins, which had included their ICC World Test Championship Final victory.

Four days later in Rawalpindi, South Africa won the 2nd Test by 8 wickets chasing 68. Same teams. Same tour. Completely opposite results this is not just a scorecard article this is the full story of South Africa’s 8-match tour of Pakistan across Tests, T20Is, and ODIs what happened in each match, where things went wrong, and what the results actually mean.

Full Tour Scorecards: All 8 Matches at a Glance

Match	Venue	Scores	Result
1st Test	Lahore, Oct 12-15	PAK 378 & 167 / SA 269 & 183	Pakistan won by 93 runs
2nd Test	Rawalpindi, Oct 20-23	PAK 333 & 138 / SA 404 & 73/2	South Africa won by 8 wkts
1st T20I	Rawalpindi, Oct 28	SA 194/9 / PAK 139	South Africa won by 55 runs
2nd T20I	Lahore, Oct 31	SA 110 / PAK 112/1	Pakistan won by 9 wkts
3rd T20I	Lahore, Nov 1	SA 139/9 / PAK 140/6	Pakistan won by 4 wkts
1st ODI	Faisalabad, Nov 4	SA 263 / PAK 264/8	Pakistan won by 2 wkts
2nd ODI	Faisalabad, Nov 6	PAK 269/9 / SA 270/2	South Africa won by 8 wkts
3rd ODI	Faisalabad, Nov 8	SA 143 / PAK 144/3	Pakistan won by 7 wkts

Format Summary: Tests 1-1 Drawn. T20Is Pakistan 2-1. ODIs Pakistan 2-1.
Series Winner: Pakistan dominated home conditions across limited-overs cricket. Test series was split.

Test Series: How Pakistan Beat Champions: Then Collapsed

1st Test Lahore: Pakistan End South Africa’s 10-Test Win Streak

South Africa arrived in Lahore as the reigning WTC Final champions with 10 consecutive Test wins. They hadn’t lost a Test in over a year.

Pakistan bowled them out for 183 in the fourth innings 93 runs short of the target. The win was built on Imam-ul-Haq’s 93 and a solid team batting effort to post 378 in the first innings. Pakistan set South Africa a target of 277. On a Lahore pitch that offered variable turn by day 3, SA’s batting which had looked solid when scoring 269 in their first innings simply fell away.

What makes this victory remarkable: Not just the result. But the context. Beating the team that won the WTC Final, on their first Test visit, in front of a packed Gaddafi Stadium, while ending a 10-match winning streak this was one of Pakistan’s finest Test wins in the post-Azam era.

Unique insight: Pakistan’s spin attack was the key. The variable bounce and turn of the Gaddafi surface — specifically tailored for home spinners worked exactly as planned. Pakistan’s spinners took 7 of the 10 second-innings wickets. South Africa had no answer to the combination of pace in the first innings and turn in the fourth.

2nd Test Rawalpindi: SA’s Kagiso Rabada Tail Explosion Changed Everything

Pakistan had started the 2nd Test brilliantly 333 in their first innings, with Babar Azam contributing a quality half-century. South Africa were tottering at 285/8 in reply. Normal logic says: Pakistan restrict SA to 310-320, take a first-innings lead of 15-20, and press on.

But here’s the real problem: Kagiso Rabada Pakistan’s nemesis at number 10 came to the crease and scored 51 off 38 balls, including 3 sixes and 3 fours. Tail partner Senuran Muthusamy hit 89. Together, they added 119 runs for the 9th wicket to take South Africa from 285/8 to 404 all out.

That partnership cost Pakistan a 70-run first-innings deficit instead of a 20-run lead a swing of 90 runs. The rest of the Test followed logically. Pakistan’s second innings of 138 all out collapsing against Jansen and Rabada on a flat Rawalpindi surface was the final failure. SA chased 68 in 12.3 overs.

Common mistake by Pakistan: Pakistan’s fielding captain failed to set attacking fields when Rabada first walked in at 285/8. A tail batter with Rabada’s hitting ability needed to be targeted with a slip and a leg-gully immediately. Instead, Pakistan’s defensive setup at 285/8 allowed him to settle. One tactical error. Ninety run swing. Match lost.

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T20I Series: From 55-Run Loss to 9-Wicket Win in 3 Days

1st T20I: SA 194/9 Batted Pakistan Into Silence

South Africa posted 194/9 in Rawalpindi. On a surface where 170 is competitive, it felt like a mountain.

Pakistan’s bowlers were hit hard in the middle overs. SA’s top order powered by an aggressive batting approach took advantage of Pakistan’s pacy seamers on a flat Rawalpindi deck. Pakistan chased and fell for 139 all out in 18.1 overs 55 runs short.

What most people miss: SA’s 194/9 the /9 is important. They lost 9 wickets getting there, meaning Pakistan nearly choked them. But nearly isn’t good enough in T20s. SA’s lower-order hitting pushed them from what would have been 165-170 to 194. Those 25 extra tail-order runs cost Pakistan the match.

2nd & 3rd T20I: Pakistan’s Last-Over Nerve Wins the Series

Twenty-four hours later. Same city (Lahore). Completely different game.

South Africa scored just 110 all out. Pakistan chased it in 13.1 overs for the loss of 1 wicket. A 9-wicket win the scoreline of a team that was 55 runs short 24 hours ago. This is T20 cricket’s beautiful unpredictability.

The 3rd T20I was the hardest. SA posted 139/9 a competitive total on a Lahore surface. Pakistan chased it with 6 balls to spare, losing 6 wickets. It was tense. It was last-over drama. It was exactly the kind of chase that separates teams that have match-temperament from those that don’t.

Counterintuitive insight: Pakistan’s T20I series win was more impressive because of the 55-run loss in Match 1. It’s easy to win a series when you start well. Coming back from a heavy defeat in Match 1 in the same city, 3 days later against a team that just beat you comfortably, requires genuine psychological resilience. Pakistan had it.

ODI Series: Drama, Dominance, and a Last-Ball Thriller

1st ODI: Pakistan Win by 2 Wickets With 2 Balls to Spare

Faisalabad. November 4. South Africa scored 263 a solid total on an Iqbal Stadium surface.

Pakistan chased. They wobbled. They nearly lost. They won by 2 wickets with 2 balls remaining.

This is the single most dramatic match of the entire tour. No competitor has explained what happened in the final over because they’re all simple scorecard pages. Pakistan needed 8 off the final over. Three wickets in hand. Each ball a potential series-opener. They got there with 2 balls to spare. The match was won in the 49th over off a boundary that gave the No. 8 batter enough headroom to breathe.

Bold opinion: This ODI win is Pakistan’s best chase under pressure in the 2025-26 home season. Not the flashiest. Not the highest-scoring. But a 264-target with 2 wickets and 2 balls left at the end that’s where teams find out who they actually are.

2nd ODI: South Africa’s 8-Wicket Demolition of Pakistan’s 269

Pakistan posted 269/9 a reasonable first-innings total in a day-night game.

South Africa chased it in 40.1 overs for the loss of 2 wickets. An 8-wicket win chasing 270 in the 41st over. The South African top order batted with stunning authority. Pakistan’s bowling the same attack that defended 264 the game before had no answers.

What this shows: South Africa are an extraordinary team when their top order fires simultaneously. In the 2nd ODI, the top 3 batters did exactly that. When SA score 270/2 in 40 overs, it looks easy from the outside but it takes three world-class batters all performing together. Pakistan had no plans for that scenario.

3rd ODI: Abrar Ahmed 4-for Seals Pakistan’s ODI Series Win

South Africa were bowled out for 143 well below par on a Faisalabad surface.

Abrar Ahmed took 4 wickets, spinning through SA’s middle order with his googly-heavy attack. Pakistan chased 144 in 25.1 overs, losing just 3 wickets. Series won.

Unique insight: Abrar Ahmed is Pakistan’s most important bowling weapon in home ODI conditions. His ability to deceive batters with the googly on slow Pakistani pitches makes him almost unplayable when conditions are right. SA hadn’t faced him earlier in the series by the time they had a full picture of his variations in match 3, it was too late.

The Real Turning Point Across the Entire Tour

Each format had its own turning point:

• Tests: Kagiso Rabada’s 51 off 38 at 285/8 in the 2nd Test. A 90-run swing that turned a likely Pakistan first-innings lead into a 71-run deficit and cost them the series levelling win.
• T20Is: Pakistan’s decision to return to Lahore for T20Is 2 and 3 a spinner-friendly surface after losing on flat Rawalpindi. The Lahore conditions suited Pakistan’s attack. SA, who had just won comfortably, suddenly had no footing.
• ODIs: Abrar Ahmed’s selection in the 3rd ODI. Pakistan had used him sparingly but on a deteriorating Faisalabad surface in match 3, he was unplayable. Picking him as the main spinner rather than a support option was the right call at the right time.

What People Think vs What Actually Happened

Myth 1: “Pakistan dominated this tour.”
Truth: Pakistan won the T20I and ODI series 2-1 each. But they drew the Tests 1-1 and were absolutely crushed in the 2nd Test by 8 wickets. SA left Pakistan having proven they are world-class even away from home. Pakistan won the series trophies, but not convincingly.

Myth 2: “South Africa’s 10-Test win streak ending meant they were on a decline.”
Truth: South Africa won the 2nd Test by 8 wickets on a flat Rawalpindi pitch against Pakistan’s full home squad. They didn’t decline. They adapted. SA are still the most complete Test side in the world in non-subcontinental conditions.

Myth 3: “The T20I series shows Pakistan are ready for the World Cup.”
Truth: Pakistan lost the 1st T20I by 55 runs. They then beat a weakened SA batting unit (110 all out) by 9 wickets. A 2-1 series win built on one routing and one last-over escape is not a World Cup readiness signal. It’s a home conditions advantage signal.

Player Performance Ratings: SA Tour of Pakistan 2025-26

Tests

Player	Team	Key Stat
Imam-ul-Haq	Pakistan	93 — 1st Test anchor
Kagiso Rabada	South Africa	51 off 38 balls (9th wkt, game-changer)
Senuran Muthusamy	South Africa	89 — 9th wkt partnership
Babar Azam	Pakistan	50 — 2nd Test first innings
Pakistan Spinners	Pakistan	7 wickets in SA 4th innings (1st Test)

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T20Is

Player	Team	Key Stat
Pakistan Batting	Pakistan	112/1 in 2nd T20I (9-wkt win)
SA Top Order	South Africa	194/9 — 1st T20I anchor

ODIs

Player	Team	Key Stat
Abrar Ahmed	Pakistan	4 wkts — 3rd ODI, sealed series
SA Top 3	South Africa	270/2 in 40 overs — 2nd ODI domination
Saim Ayub	Pakistan	50+ — 3rd ODI chase

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