South Africa captain Heinrich Klaasen shared his thoughts following his team's thrilling 11-run victory over Pakistan in the first T20I at Kingsmead, Durban. Klaasen acknowledged the team's imperfections but praised individual performances that played a crucial role in securing the win.  

Speaking to the media, Klaasen remarked, "I wouldn't say it was a great performance, but a couple of guys stepped up. There are small margins in cricket, pleased we didn't bomb up after losing wickets early. Those three youngsters Peter, Maphaka, and Simelane, along with Georgy (Linde), had a great game. He (Miller) had a fantastic game. He has been working really hard, and may it continue for long. Looking forward to all three games" he said.   

The match saw South Africa recover from early setbacks, thanks to a counterattacking 82 off 40 balls by David Miller and a quickfire 48 off 24 by George Linde. Klaasen praised their contributions, highlighting Miller’s consistency and the all-around impact of Linde, who was later named Player of the Match for his dual efforts with bat (48 runs) and ball (4-21).  

Klaasen also commended the three youngsters in the playing XI—Nqaba Peter, Kwena Maphaka, and Andile Simelane—who showed composure under pressure. Debutant Maphaka impressed by defending 19 runs in the final over, including the crucial wicket of Mohammad Rizwan.  

The South African skipper emphasized the importance of building momentum as the series progresses and expressed excitement about the remaining games.  

The second T20I is set to take place on Friday, December 13, at Centurion, followed by the final T20I game on December 14 in Johannesburg. South Africa leads the three-match series 1-0.