LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Babar Azam broke Rohit Sharma's record for most runs in men's Twenty20s as Pakistan hammered South Africa by nine wickets and leveled their series on Friday.
Saim Ayub returned to form with a belligerent unbeaten 71 off 38 balls as Pakistan raced to 112-1 in just 13.1 overs after bowling out South Africa for 110. Fast bowlers Salman Mirza and Faheem Ashraf shared seven wickets.
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Pakistan's Faheem Ashraf, center, celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of South Africa's Ottneil Baartman during the second T20 cricket match between Pakistan and South Africa, in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Pakistan's Salman Mirza bowls during the second T20 cricket match between Pakistan and South Africa, in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Pakistan's Saim Ayub plays a shot during the second T20 cricket match between Pakistan and South Africa, in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Pakistan's Babar Azam bats during the second T20 cricket match between Pakistan and South Africa, in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
The third and deciding T20 is on Saturday.
“They outplayed us in the previous game and we did that today,” Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said. “It’s beautifully set up now and hopefully we’ll have a cracker in the final. We bowled really well up front and when you bowl that well you’re always going to win the game."
Babar needed nine runs to pass Sharma's record of 4,231 runs and finished 11 not out. He took the Indian batter’s record when he drove spinner Donovan Ferreira for a single to long-off.
Pakistan recalled Babar for his first T20s in almost a year after Fakhar Zaman was rested. Babar missed the chance in the first match to set the record when he was dismissed for a two-ball duck at Rawalpindi on Tuesday.
Babar has 4,234 runs in 130 T20s, including 36 half-centuries and three centuries. His strike rate of 129 has often been criticized. He missed the Asia Cup in which Pakistan was beaten by India.
Sharma played 159 T20s but quit international cricket's shortest format after leading India to the T20 World Cup title last year.
Ayub had a horror Asia Cup where he had four ducks and struggled again on Tuesday when he was dropped on zero before South Africa romped to a 55-run win.
But Pakistan persisted with the left-handed opener who finally showed his brilliant power-hitting by smashing his fifth T20 half-century with five sixes and six boundaries. Ayub hit the winning runs with his last six off Ferreira over wide mid-on.
"Saim is someone who can play for the next 10 years and become the player we all want him to be,” Agha said.
Playing Mirza for the rested Shaheen Shah Afridi brought Pakistan immediate success as the left-armer deceived the South Africa top order with his variations.
Reeza Hendricks, who hit a half-century in the first match, was bowled for a two-ball duck by a Mirza delivery that nipped back in sharply.
Quinton de Kock was deceived by Naseem Shah’s slower ball and he holed out to mid-off.
Mirza dropped a sitter from Matthew Breetzke at gully off Shah but made amends when he hit the top of Breetzke’s off stump with another slower ball.
Tony de Zorzi top-edged Mirza's short ball to short fine leg and South Africa slipped to 23-4 inside the powerplay and couldn't recover. Mirza took 3-14 Ashraf mopped up with a career-best 4-23.
“There isn’t much time to reflect,” said Ferreira, leading the Proteas in the absence of the injured David Miller. "The wicket got a lot better with the dew settling. You just have to move on.”
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
Pakistan's Faheem Ashraf, center, celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of South Africa's Ottneil Baartman during the second T20 cricket match between Pakistan and South Africa, in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Pakistan's Salman Mirza bowls during the second T20 cricket match between Pakistan and South Africa, in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Pakistan's Saim Ayub plays a shot during the second T20 cricket match between Pakistan and South Africa, in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Pakistan's Babar Azam bats during the second T20 cricket match between Pakistan and South Africa, in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City and Aston Villa kept the pressure on Premier League leader Arsenal with wins on Sunday.
Nottingham Forest pulled further away from the relegation zone with a 3-0 victory against Tottenham and Sunderland beat Newcastle 1-0 in the Tyne-Wear derby after an own-goal from Nick Woltemade.
Arsenal had extended its lead at the top of the standings to five points with a 2-1 win against Wolves on Saturday. But a day later its closest rivals both responded with victories - second-place City winning 3-0 at Crystal Palace and Villa, in third, twice coming back to beat West Ham 3-2 at the London Stadium.
City is two points behind Arsenal and Villa is a point further back.
Beaten by Palace in the FA Cup final last season, City exacted some revenge to take all three points at Selhurst Park.
“They are so strong. Every time we play against them it’s so difficult," City manager Pep Guardiola said. “Still, we are not top, but we are learning and after what happened we will be closer in the future.”
Erling Haaland scored his 101st Premier League goal to put City in front late in the first half and he got his second of the match with an 89th-minute penalty. The Norwegian has 36 goals in 27 appearances for club and country in another remarkable scoring season. He is the league's leading scorer with 17 goals.
Phil Foden got City's other goal in between Haaland's double.
Morgan Rogers scored twice in the second half to extend Aston Villa's winning run to nine-straight games in all competitions and keep Unai Emery's team on the heels of Arsenal and City.
Villa has lost just one of its last 13 games in the league and won 10 of its last 11, but twice had to come from behind at relegation fighting West Ham.
“We feel unstoppable, but we are making it difficult for ourselves," Rogers said. "The battle and resilience we have means we know we can get back into it against a good team.
“We want to keep this going, it’s about being confident and I’m feeling good.”
Mateus Fernandes scored the fastest goal in England's top flight this season when putting the home team 1-0 up after just 29 seconds. But Konstantinos Mavropanos' own-goal leveled the game eight minutes later.
Jarrod Bowen then gave West Ham the lead at halftime with his second goal in as many games in the 24th.
Rogers leveled the game again five minutes after the break and struck the winner in the 79th.
The pressure is mounting on Tottenham coach Thomas Frank, who was left infuriated after a latest loss.
Spurs have won just one of their last seven games in the league and face defending champion Liverpool at home next week.
“It’s hugely annoying, (I'm) burning inside," said Frank. “I had such a good feeling going into this game, then we deliver this performance, which is not good enough.”
Two goals from Callum Hudson-Odoi at the City Ground put Frank's team on course for another defeat - a sixth in the league this season. Ibrahim Sangare completed a miserable day for the visitors, but a joyous one for Forest, which is five points clear of the relegation zone after being re-energized since the appointment of Sean Dyche as coach in October.
Forest has won six of its last eight under Dyche, including four in the league.
Woltemade endured an agonizing first Tyne-Wear derby since joining Newcastle after his own-goal handed victory to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
The Germany striker has impressed since his club record $93 million move from Stuttgart in August. But he made himself a hero to Newcastle's fiercest rival Sunderland when heading past Aaron Ramsdale a minute into second half.
To make matters worse, Woltemade was barely a threat at the other end - registering one shot before being replaced by Yoane Wissa in the 75th.
“Derbies are there to be won, it doesn’t matter how," Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka said.
Sunderland is up to seventh in the standings — level on points with Liverpool.
"This team deserves respect, because where we are is what we deserve,” said Xhaka.
James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Nottingham Forest's Callum Hudson-Odoi celebrates scoring their side's second goal during their English Premier League soccer match in Nottingham, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)
Newcastle United's Nick Woltemade scores Sunderland's first goal of the game, via an own goal during their English Premier League soccer match in Sunderland, England, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (Steve Welsh/PA via AP)
Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between West Ham United and Aston Villa in London, England, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP)
Manchester City's Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Manchester City in London, Sunday, Dec.14, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
