CAPE TOWN: Captain Mohammad Rizwan hailed his charges, saying it was a team effort that helped Pakistan clinch a second straight major one-day International series away from home with a comprehensive 81-run victory against South Africa at Newlands on Thursday.

After beating Australia 2-1 last month, Pakistan gained an unassailable 2-0 lead over the Proteas ahead of the third and final fixture in Johannesburg on Sunday.

Overall, it was the fifth successive bilateral ODI series win — and the third in the southern hemisphere season, after they also won in Zimbabwe — as Pakistan build momentum towards the Champions Trophy they will host in February.

“It’s a team game, from beginning to end all of the guys are involved and contributing,” a delighted Rizwan said at the presentation ceremony.

Veterans Babar Azam (73) and Rizwan (80) laid the foundation for an above-par of 329 all out with the impetus for their total coming from a superb 63 from 32 deliveries by man-of-the-match Kamran Ghulam.

Fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi (4- 47) and Naseem Shah (3-37) were the main destroyers as the hosts were bowled out for 248 despite Heinrich Klaasen making 97.

“The start from Saim Ayub [25] was good for us, we needed momentum,” added Rizwan. “Me and Babar started slowly but Kamran Ghulam’s innings was absolutely fantastic.

“We were looking for 300 but we got 300-plus, must give credit to him. I had trust in him but not like that … that was something different. The start [in the second innings] from [spinner] Abrar Ahmed, he gave us a wicket and there were good partnerships in bowling as well.”

Kamran added that the team was looking forward to the Champions Trophy after successes in Australia and South Africa.

“We’re really excited and the team’s morale is really good,” he told a news conference. “The environment is good and we’ve all gelled well.

We won in Australia and now here and of course it builds confidence … we’re looking forward to playing the Champions Trophy.“

On his sensational power-hitting, Kamran, who hit five sixes, added: “I wasn’t fazed by the conditions in South Africa. In Pakistan, I’ve learnt to play in all conditions and so that experience helped me.”

Some of the positives for Pakistan were the return to form of star players Babar and Shaheen.

Babar was involved in a steady but safe stand of 115 with Rizwan for the third wicket as he made his first half-century in any format for Pakistan since May, and first in ODIs in 13 months.

Pace spearhead Shaheen, meanwhile, showed superb control as he ripped through the South African middle order with three wickets in three overs.

“Babar is our most senior batter and he will gain confidence from this,” said Kamran, who added “Shaheen bowled brilliantly and with pace”.

South African skipper Temba Bavuma, who returned to the side after sitting out the first ODI, rued that his side had let the game slip away.

“We had things under control in the first 25 overs but we let them express themselves in the last 25,” he said at the presentation ceremony. “We let the good work in the first 25 slip away.”

He was critical of himself after he and Tony de Zorzi gave South Africa a promising start in the first 12 overs of their chase.

But spinners Abrar and part-timer Salman Agha chipped out three top-order wickets and slowed the scoring so the run rate required gradually climbed.

South Africa still scored more briskly than Pakistan for most of their innings but although all of their first six batsmen made starts, only Klaasen made a significant score.

“Those starts need to be converted it into big scores for the team,” Bavuma said.

SCOREBOARD

PAKISTAN:

Saim Ayub c van der Dussen b Maphaka 25

Abdullah Shafique c Klaasen b Jansen 0

Babar Azam c Markram b Phehlukwayo 73

Mohammad Rizwan c&b Maphaka 80

Salman Ali Agha c Miller b Fortuin 33

Kamran Ghulam c Markram b Maphaka 63

Irfan Khan c Miller b Jansen 15

Shaheen Shah Afridi c sub b Jansen 16

Naseem Shah not out 0

Haris Rauf c sub b Maphaka 6

Abrar Ahmed run out (Maphaka) 4

EXTRAS (B-1, LB-4, NB-2, W-7) 14

TOTAL (all out, 50 overs) 329

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-5 (Abdullah), 2-53 (Saim), 3-168 (Babar), 4-192 (Rizwan), 5-242 (Salman), 6-291 (Irfan), 7-317 (Shaheen), 8-317 (Kamran), 9-323 (Haris)

BOWLING: Jansen 10-1-71-3 (1w, 2nb), Maphaka 10-1-72-4 (4w), Fortuin 10-0-49-1, Phehlukwayo 9-0-55-1, Shamsi 8-0-57-0 (1w), Markram 3-0-20-0 (1w)

SOUTH AFRICA:

T. Bavuma c Haris b Naseem 12

T. de Zorzi b Abrar 34

R. van der Dussen c Saim b Salman 23

A. Markram lbw b Abrar 21

H. Klaasen c Irfan b Naseem 97

D. Miller c Rizwan b Shaheen 29

M. Jansen b Shaheen 3

A. Phehlukwayo lbw b Shaheen 1

B. Fortuin c Babar b Naseem 9

K. Maphaka c Rizwan b Shaheen 1

T. Shamsi not out 1

EXTRAS (B-8, LB-4, NB-1, W-4) 17

TOTAL (all out, 43.1 overs) 248

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-34 (Bavuma), 2-74 (de Zorzi), 3-84 (van der Dussen), 4-113 (Markram), 5-185 (Miller), 6-203 (Jansen), 7-205 (Phehlukwayo), 8-243 (Fortuin), 9-244 (Maphaka)

BOWLING: Shaheen 8-0-47-4 (2w), Naseem 8.1-0-37-3 (1w, 1nb), Haris 8-1-33-0, Abrar 9-0-48-2, Salman 10-0-71-1 (1w)

RESULT: Pakistan won by 81 runs.

SERIES: Pakistan lead three-match series 2-0.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2024