Match overview
South Africa beat Pakistan by 8 wickets at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad on 6 November 2025, completing one of the more straightforward chases in recent ODI cricket between these sides. Pakistan batted first after winning the toss, recovered from a shaky powerplay to post 269/9, then watched South Africa's openers make the target look well within reach from the first over. Quinton de Kock, named Player of the Match, anchored the reply alongside a composed top order. South Africa crossed the line losing just 2 wickets, ending a run of three consecutive ODI defeats to Pakistan in 2025.
Pakistan's innings told a familiar story. Three wickets fell for 41 runs in the powerplay, and whilst the middle overs produced 138 runs for 2 wickets, the platform had already been compromised. The death overs added 90 more at the cost of 4 wickets, which gave the scorecard a more competitive look than the game's tempo justified. A target of 270 is chaseable at the best of times at Iqbal Stadium. Given the surface and the chasing team's quality, it was always going to require a very early collapse to make it genuinely tense.
Venue and conditions
Iqbal Stadium has hosted 11 ODIs and the chasing side has won every single one of them. That statistic is unusual in world cricket and it shapes how captains approach the toss here. Pakistan chose to bat despite that record, and the result adds another data point to the same pattern. The average first-innings score at the ground is 278 and the average second-innings score is also 278, suggesting a surface that doesn't change dramatically across an innings, but where the psychological and tactical advantages all flow to the side setting the field.
The powerplay numbers are particularly instructive. The venue average is just 27 powerplay runs, which suggests new-ball conditions can be difficult. Pakistan's 41 for 3 in the powerplay was worse than average; South Africa's 65 without loss in the reply was exceptional by Faisalabad standards and set the tone immediately. The average death-overs return at the ground is 23 runs, making Pakistan's 90 in that phase a genuine bright spot, though one that came too late to alter the outcome. Toss winners at this venue choose to field 86 per cent of the time (12 out of every 14 matches), and the results have consistently justified that instinct.
How to watch
Pakistan versus South Africa ODIs are broadcast in the UK on Sky Sports Cricket, available through a Sky TV subscription, Sky Go, or a NOW TV Sports day or month pass. For live coverage schedules and any changes to broadcast arrangements, the Sky Sports website is the most reliable source. Streaming options through the NOW TV app are available on most smart devices for those without a full Sky subscription.
Recent form
The result represents a meaningful shift in momentum across what has been a busy period between these two sides in 2025. Pakistan entered the fixture having won three consecutive ODIs against South Africa, all in 2025, including two victories at Iqbal Stadium itself and two more at Gaddafi Stadium by margins of 4 and 9 wickets. Before that sequence, South Africa had won by 55 runs at Pindi Cricket Stadium.
South Africa's recent form coming into this match showed two wins followed by three defeats, all against Pakistan, which reflects how closely contested the series has been despite the margin of the individual results. Pakistan's sequence of three straight wins before this fixture had given them a clear upper hand, but South Africa's 8-wicket victory here rewrites the narrative heading into whatever comes next in the series. With both sides having played each other extensively across multiple venues in 2025, the next fixture between them carries genuine series context regardless of format.