With this loss, South Africa’s record now stands at nine victories and four losses in 13 Pink Day ODIs.
With their most recent victory on December 22, 2024, at the Wanderers in Johannesburg, Pakistan made cricket history by being the first team to defeat South Africa twice in Pink Day ODIs. An important milestone for the visitors was reached with the victory, which also completed Pakistan’s unprecedented whitewash of South Africa in a bilateral ODI series.
The Wanderers’ Pink Day tradition, which raises money for breast cancer awareness, had served as a stronghold for South Africa, as the Proteas had initially held an undefeated six-match winning streak. But in January 2019, when they handed South Africa their first Pink Day loss, Pakistan broke their hegemony. Shaheen Afridi’s 2 for 24 and Usman Shinwari’s 4 for 35 held the hosts to 164 that day. In response, Babar Azam (41*) led the side to a decisive eight-wicket victory after Imam-ul-Haq (71) and Fakhar Zaman (44) established a strong platform. In their first-ever ODI cricket victory at the Wanderers, Pakistan was led by Shoaib Malik in the absence of Sarfraz Ahmed who was suspended.
In a subsequent Pink Day ODI in February 2020, England did the same, defeating South Africa by two wickets. Adil Rashid’s 3 for 51 in the first innings and Moeen Ali’s cool finish helped England win even though they collapsed late in their chase of 257.
With victories over Pakistan in 2021 and Bangladesh and the Netherlands in the following Pink Day ODIs in 2022 and 2023, respectively, South Africa was able to get back on track. But in December 2023, India humiliated them by dismissing the hosts for their lowest-ever total of 116 at Johannesburg. Sai Sudharsan’s first half-century and Arshdeep Singh’s five-wicket haul gave India a decisive win.
Pakistan’s decisive 36-run DLS victory on December 22, 2024, revealed South Africa’s weaknesses once more in the most recent chapter. With the help of Babar Azam (52) and Mohammad Rizwan (53), the series’ star, Saim Ayub, smashed his second century (101). Heinrich Klaasen’s brilliant 81 was not enough to save the match, and debut wrist-spinner Sufiyan Muqeem’s 4 for 52 destroyed the South African batting order.
South Africa currently has a record of nine victories and four losses after suffering their fourth defeat in 13 Pink Day ODIs. In addition to demonstrating their increasing supremacy in ODI cricket, Pakistan’s historic accomplishment cemented their place as the only side to defeat South Africa twice on their famous Pink Day.
