CENTURION (South Africa), Feb 24: Debutant Kyle Abbott took nine wickets as South Africa completed a 3-0 series sweep over Pakistan with a crushing innings and 18-run victory in the third and final cricket Test at the SuperSport Park here on Sunday.

Pakistan were bowled out for 235 in their second innings, having managed 156 in their first in reply to South Africa’s 409.

But the margin of victory and the series result was a fair reflection of the dominance of South Africa, the undisputed world Test champions, playing in their home conditions. The Proteas, earlier, also had annihilated New Zealand in the preceding two Tests of their home season.

The win, completed in three days, made Graeme Smith the first captain to claim 50 Test wins.

“It has been a very special summer at home with some incredible milestones for myself and the team,” Smith told reporters. “To be able to achieve something today in winning 50 Tests with a special group of cricketers is something that will stay with me for the rest of my life.”

Abbott, who had come in for the injured Jacques Kallis, was the pick of the South African seamers on a helpful wicket, recording match figures of nine for 68.

The 25-year-old took the scalps of Imran Farhat (43) and Ehsan Adil (12) to add to his seven wickets from the first innings.

“My knowledge of Kyle was limited going into the test match so it was fantastic to see him bowl as well as he did,” Smith said. “He bowled at a good, solid pace, hit the deck hard, got the ball in the right areas. He asked a lot of questions.”

Starting the day on 14 for one, Pakistan showed some fighting spirit losing only Younis Khan (11), who played a thick edge off Dale Steyn to Smith at first slip, in the morning session.

The tourists began to implode after lunch. Azhar Ali (27) and Imran put on 54 for the third wicket before the former ran himself out in calamitous fashion.

Imran worked the ball to fine leg and after running one, Azhar turned for a second at the wicket-keeper’s end. He was always struggling against the bullet throw of Steyn from the boundary and in the end was well short.

Pakistan lost two more wickets with the score on 107.

Abbott picked up his eighth of the match when Imran (43) slashed at a wide delivery and was caught by wicket-keeper A.B. de Villiers.

Captain Misbah-ul-Haq (5) became Rory Kleinveldt’s first wicket of the game when he got a thin edge to a ball. Kleinveldt took a second when Asad Shafiq (6) scooped a delivery to Vernon Philander at mid-off.

Saeed Ajmal (31) and Sarfraz Ahmed put on 69 for the seventh wicket, but the former was trapped lbw by Steyn to end the resistance.

Sarfraz (40) followed soon afterwards when he top-edged Steyn to Dean Elgar at third man and Ehsan Adil tried to pull Abbott but only succeeded in ballooning the ball to Kleinveldt at mid-on.

The final pair of Mohammad Irfan (6 not out) and Rahat Ali (22) hung around for another 33 runs before Rahat was lbw to Robin Peterson to end the match.

South Africa won the first Test in Johannesburg by 211 runs and completed a four-wicket victory in the second in Cape Town.

“This is the best team I have played in as a South African cricketer, we have all our bases covered,” Smith said. “Part of that is the maturity and professionalism with which they approach every match. If you are even 10 percent off in your game it can affect the result, but the guys gave it everything again.”

Pakistan captain Misbah said his team lacked consistency.

“Full credit to the South Africans for the way they played in this series, their batting, bowling and fielding was better,” Misbah said.

“We had an opportunity to win the second Test in Cape Town with two hundreds and 10 wickets for Saeed Ajmal, but a batting collapse hurt us there. It has been the story of our series.”—Agencies

Scoreboard SOUTH AFRICA (1st Innings) 409 (A.B. de Villiers 121, H.M. Amla 92, V.D. Philander 74; Rahat Ali 6-127). PAKISTAN (1st Innings) 156 (Younis Khan 33; K.J. Abbott 7-29).

PAKISTAN (2nd Innings, overnight 14-1): Mohammad Hafeez b Steyn    0 Azhar Ali run out    27 Younis Khan c Smith b Steyn    11 Imran Farhat c de Villiers b Abbott    43 Misbah-ul-Haq c de Villiers b Kleinveldt    5 Asad Shafiq c Philander b Kleinveldt    6 Sarfraz Ahmed c Elgar b Steyn    40 Saeed Ajmal lbw b Steyn    31 Ehsan Adil c Kleinveldt b Abbott    12 Rahat Ali lbw b Peterson    22 Mohammad Irfan not out    6

EXTRAS (B-9, LB-10, W-11, NB-2)    32 TOTAL (all out, 78 overs)    235 FALL OF WKTS: 1-0, 2-39, 3-93, 4-107, 5-107, 6-114, 7-183, 8-202, 9-202. BOWLING: Steyn 23-5-80-4; Philander 15-4-32-0 (2w); Abbott 17-7-39-2 (2nb); Kleinveldt 13-2-33-2 (1w); Peterson 10-2-32-1. RESULT: South Africa won by an innings and 18 runs to clinch the three-match series 3-0. UMPIRES: B.F. Bowden (New Zealand) and S.J. Davis (Australia). TV UMPIRE: B.N.J. Oxenford (Australia). MATCH REFEREE: Jeff Crowe (New Zealand). MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Kyle Abbott. MAM-OF-THE-SERIES: A.B. de Villiers. FIRST TEST: Johannesburg, South Africa won by 211 runs. SECOND TEST: Cape Town, South Africa won by four wickets.