Injury forced Shaheen Afridi off the field in second T20 against South Africa

Despite injury, Shaheen Afridi completed his 4 overs before leaving the field for treatment.

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Pakistan's fast bowler Shaheen Afridi was forced to leave the field during the Green Shirts' second T20 against South Africa on Friday due to an injury.

In the match played in Centurion, Pakistan was defeated by 7 wickets, allowing South Africa to claim the series. However, the third and final match will be played in Johannesburg today.

Yesterday, during South Africa's batting, Shaheen Afridi sustained a severe blow while bowling the 17th over. His second delivery was played by South African batter Rassie van der Dussen, and the ball struck Afridi on the bone between his neck and shoulder, causing him visible discomfort. Despite the pain, Afridi completed his over.

After the over, Afridi immediately left the field and went to the dressing room to allow the physio to assess his injury.

The fast bowler gave away 37 runs in his 4 overs but did not take any wickets.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has not issued any statement regarding Shaheen Afridi's injury. However, sources suggest that he may be rested for the third T20 match due to the injury.

Pak vs SA: South Africa win by 7 wickets to lead T20I series 2-0 against Pakistan

Reeza Hendricks' 117 off 63 balls, alongside Rassie van der Dussen's unbeaten 66-run contribution, powered South Africa to a seven-wicket victory over Pakistan in the second T20I, giving the Proteas a 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

The home side was chasing a target of 207 after Pakistani batters posted 206 on the board with the help of Saim Ayub's blistering 98-run knock. However, the bowlers failed to capitalise on the situation after taking two early wickets.

Haris Rauf conceded 57 runs in his four overs, while Abbas Afridi, who took the prized wicket of Hendricks, went for 46 runs in just 3.3 overs.

Jahandad Khan, playing in his fifth T20I, made an early impact with the ball, dismissing Ryan Rickelton and Matthew Breetzke within the powerplay, leaving South Africa at 2-24.

However, Hendricks had other plans as the right-handed opener took charge of the chase, reaching his 50 in just 25 balls. Alongside Rassie van der Dussen, Hendricks formed a game-changing partnership, putting Pakistan's bowlers under immense pressure.

The pair combined for an astonishing 157-run stand, leaving Pakistan's bowlers clueless. Hendricks brought up his maiden T20I century off 54 balls, with 7 fours and 10 sixes.

Pakistan finally broke the partnership in the 18th over, but by that point, Hendricks had already accumulated 117 runs from 63 balls.

Despite Hendricks' departure, South Africa faced little resistance in completing the chase. Van der Dussen's unbeaten 66, which included 5 sixes, guided them to victory with three balls to spare.

Jahandad Khan, despite his early breakthroughs, finished with figures of 2-40, while Shaheen Afridi went wicketless, conceding 37 runs in his four overs.

Earlier, Pakistan's captain, Muhammad Rizwan, won the toss and opted to bat first. However, the visitors suffered an early setback as Rizwan was dismissed by Ottneil Baartman for 11 runs off 13 balls in the fourth over.

Following the early loss, Saim Ayub joined Babar Azam at the crease, and the pair formed a blistering 87-run partnership off just 45 balls, taking Pakistan to 100 runs by the 11th over.

Ayub, who was in fine form, reached his half-century, while Azam, who was looking confident after a duck in the previous match, fell to George Linde's spin after scoring 31 which lead to a mini-collapse.

Usman Khan and Tayyab Tahir struggled to make an impact as both were dismissed by debutant Dayyaan Galiem.

With the score at 125/4, Ayub took control of the innings and formed another crucial 73-run partnership with all-rounder Irfan Khan, who contributed 30 runs with three fours and two sixes before being caught on the boundary.

Ayub, who had looked in exceptional touch throughout the innings, finished with an unbeaten 98 runs, which included 11 boundaries and 5 sixes.

Despite his remarkable knock, he narrowly missed out on a T20I century as Pakistan ended their 20 overs with a total of 206/5.

With a solid foundation set by Ayub, Pakistan will now look to defend their total and level the series.

Both teams will face off in the third T20I today in Johannesburg, where Pakistan will look to stay alive in the series.

Playing XI

Pakistan: Muhammad Rizwan (C), Babar Azam, Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, Tayyab Tahir, Irfan Khan, Abbas Afridi, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Abrar Ahmed.

South Africa: Ryan Rickelton, Reeza Hendricks, Matthew Breetzke, Rassie van der Dussen, Heinrich Klaasen (C), Donovan Ferreeia, George Linde, Dayyaan Galiem (on debut), Nqaba Peter, Kwena Maphaka, Ottneil Baartman