LAHORE: Mohammad Nawaz’s all-round performance backed by a fine show from debutant leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood guided Pakistan to a four-wicket victory in the series-deciding third and final Twenty20 International here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday night.

Useful contributions from captain Babar Azam (44) and in-form opener Mohammad Rizwan (42) also proved helpful for the hosts who prevailed over Heinrich Klaasen-led South Africa for a 2-1 series triumph under foggy conditions.

In the process, Pakistan also became the first country to record 100 victories in Twenty20 Internationals.

Chasing a gettable 165, Pakistan took a solid 51-run start through Rizwan and Haider Ali in 6.1 overs before overhauling the target in 18.4 overs for the loss of six wickets as Hasan Ali (20 off seven balls, two sixes, one four) and Nawaz (18 off 11 balls, two fours one six) remained unbeaten.

Haider (15 off 13), who opened alongside Rizwan failed again as the right-hander was clean bowled by left-arm wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi, who grabbed the first three Pakistan wickets to give the tourists hope for victory.Shamsi again struck to earn the prized wicket of Rizwan, adjudged leg before wicket for a well-crafted 30-ball 42 laced with with five fours and two sixes. Rizwan had scored a century in the first T20 and half century in the second.

Left-handed Hussain Talat (5 off 6 balls) again went cheaply as Shamsi cleaned him up. And when Babar was bowled by paceman Dwaine Pretorius at the total of 112, set alarm bells ringing for Pakistan.

Babar, who as opener could not score handsomely in the first two matches of the series, preferred to bat at No.3 on Sunday and struck a 30-ball 44 cracking five fours and one six.Asif Ali (7) was the fifth to go at the total of 117 in 14.4 overs as David Miller held a regulation catch at long-on catch giving Shamsi his fourth wicket and match figures of 4-25.

At 137, southpaw Faheem after hitting a six to slow left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin was caught at the boundary by Miller for 10 (off 8) as Pakistan required 28 off the last three overs. Earlier, he had survived a close run-out chance.

At this stage, the Nawaz-Hasan combination handled the pressure well. First, left-handed Nawaz hit back-to-back boundaries to Pretorius in the 18th over then Hasan smashed a six off an under-pressure fast bowler Andile Phehlukwayo who bowled a wide and a no-ball and was struck for two sixes by Hasan who ended the proceddings with a fine six over mid-wicket as Pakistan plundered 20 runs off the four develiveries of the 19th over to complete the victory.

Pretorius (1-33) and Fortuin (1-30) were the other wicket takers.

Earlier after being put in to bat, South Africa crumbled to 48-6 in the eighth before Miller’s stupendous unbeaten 85 lifted them to 164-8 in the stipulated overs.

Batting at number six, Miller’s sparking knock was adorned with seven sixes and five fours.

The left-hander stole 25 runs with Sipamla (8 not out) in the last over by hitting four sixes to Faheem. Their unbeaten ninth-wicket stand of 58 runs off 29 balls, rejuvenated an otherwise lethargic South African batting display.

The decision of including three spinners — Zahid, Usman Qadir and Nawaz — proved correct for Pakistan as the South African innings remained wobbly before the 31-year-old Miller took charge.

In the first six wickets to fall, Zahid and Nawaz had two each while Usman and Hasan captured one apiece.

Pakistan earned the first success in the second over when Nawaz in his first over cleaned up Reeza Hendricks for two at the total of 10. Janneman Malan hit the first six of the innings to Nawaz in the fourth over but in the same over South Africa lost the second wicket as Babar took a high catch in cover area of J.J. Smuts (1), making the scoreline 28-2 in five overs. The main disaster started when the third wicket of Pite van Biljon fell to Hasan. He hit consecutive three boundaries to the right-armer before the right-armer clean bowled him for 16 studded with four boundaries with the total being 41. With the addition of just seven runs, three wickets fell in quick succession.

Among them were South African skipper Klaasen (0), who gave the first wicket to debutant Zahid, caught by Usman. Malan also fell to Zahid in the same over for 27, adjudged leg before wicket. He faced 17 balls and hit three fours and one six. At 48, Andile Phehlukwayo (0) departed caught by Asif Ali off Usman. Most experienced David Miller and Dwaini Pretorius crossed the 50-run mark in 8.2 overs and in 10th over the visitors were 61 for six. But South African were in trouble as Zahid claimed his third wicket clean bowling Pretorius for nine making the total 65-7.

Miller, first with Bjorn Fortuin (10) retrieved the situation collecting 41 runs in the 8th wicket stand, then gave fine finishing touches with Sipamla.

Zahid finished with 3-40, Nawaz snared two wickets for 13 runs in two overs while Hasan conceded 29 runs for two wickets. Pacers Faheem Ashraf (0-38, 3 overs) and Shaheen Shah Afridi (0-28, four overs) remained wicketless.

Pakistan made three changes for the match, including middle-order batsman Asif Ali, paceman Hasan Ali and leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood, the latter one also made the debut. They replaced Khushdil Shah, Haris Rauf and Iftikhr Ahmed.

South Africa made only one change bringing back Fortuin in place of Glenton Stuurman.

For his all-round performance, Nawaz was declared man-of-the-match while Rizwan was named the player of the series for an outstanding series with the bat (scores of 104 not out, 51 and 42).

Scoreboard

SOUTH AFRICA:

J.N. Malan lbw b Zahid 27

R.R. Hendricks b Nawaz 2

J.J. Smuts c Babar b Nawaz 1

P.J. van Biljon b Hasan 16

H. Klaasen c Usman b Zahid 0

D.A. Miller not out 85

A.L. Phehlukwayo c Asif b Usman 0

D. Pretorius b Zahid 9

B.C. Fortuin b Hasan 10

L. Sipamla not out 8

EXTRAS (LB-4, W-2) 6

TOTAL (for eight wkts, 20 overs) 164

FALL OF WKTS: 1-10, 2-24, 3-41, 4-46, 5-46, 6-48, 7-65, 8-106.

DID NOT BAT: T. Shamsi.

BOWLING: Shaheen Shah Afridi 4-0-28-0; Mohammad Nawaz 2-0-13-2; Faheem Ashraf 3-0-38-0 (1w); Hasan Ali 4-0-29-2; Zahid Mahmood 4-0-40-3 (1w); Usman Qadir 3-0-12-1.

PAKISTAN:

Mohammad Rizwan lbw b Shamsi 42

Haider Ali b Shamsi 15

Babar Azam b Pretorius 44

Hussain Talat b Shamsi 5

Asif Ali c Miller b Shamsi 7

Faheem Ashraf c Miller b Fortuin 10

Mohammad Nawaz not out 18

Hasan Ali not out 20

EXTRAS (B-1, W-6, NB-1) 8

TOTAL (for six wkts, 18.4 overs) 169

FALL OF WKTS: 1-51, 2-73, 3-84, 4-112, 5-117, 6-137.

DID NOT BAT: Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Qadir, Zahid Mahmood.

BOWLING: Fortuin 4-0-30-1 (1w); Pretorius 3-0-33-1 (1w); Smuts 3-0-20-0; Phehlukwayo 2.4-0-37-0 (1nb, 2w); Sipamla 2-0-23-0; Shamsi 4-0-25-4 (2w).

RESULT: Pakistan won by four wickets to win three-match series 2-1.

UMPIRES: Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and Rashid Riaz (Pakistan).

TV UMPIRE: Ahsan Raza (Pakistan).

MATCH REFEREE: Mohammad Javed Malik (Pakistan).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Mohammad Nawaz.

MAN-OF-THE-SERIES: Mohammad Rizwan.

FIRST MATCH: Lahore, Pakistan won by three runs.

SECOND MATCH: Lahore, South Africa won by six wickets.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2021