South Africa vs Pakistan: George Linde Opens Up on Missing Team Bus Before Heroic Performance Against Pakistan
George Linde, making his return to the South Africa team after a three-year absence, missed the team bus before the first T20I against Pakistan on December 10, 2024. His phone was 15 minutes behind schedule, leading to an awkward situation. Despite the late arrival, Linde delivered a match-winning performance, scoring 48 off 24 balls and taking 4 wickets for 21 runs.
With a win in the first T20 match against Pakistan on December 10, 2024, George Linde made a stunning comeback to the South African team after a gap of over three years. Linde, who had been away from the team for 3 years, 3 months, and 2 days, played a key role in the match, scoring 48 runs off 24 balls and helping South Africa reach 183/9.
He also formed a vital 42-run partnership with Kwena Maphaka. However, his return was marred by a late arrival, as he missed the team bus due to his phone being 15 minutes behind. Fortunately, a police escort vehicle came to his rescue, ensuring he made it to the venue. Regarding this, he said:
For some reason, my phone was 15 minutes behind time. I had thought to myself, “OK, at four o’clock I’m going to walk down and I’m going to get into the bus nice and early”. And then as I came out of the team hotel I saw the bus leaving, and that feeling was not great. Luckily there were police escorts and they took me to the bus. Actually, no one realized I wasn’t on the bus, which was actually quite cool. It was embarrassing, but I reckon for the next game I might just be late again!
Linde also excelled with the ball, taking 4 wickets for just 21 runs in 4 overs, with an economy rate of 5.20. His all-round performance was pivotal in South Africa’s 11-run victory over Pakistan.
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