FAISALABAD, Oct 23: A superb all-round show from Pakistan team on Tuesday propelled them to a convincing win over the strong South Africans in the crucial third One-day International in front of a packed house here at the Iqbal Stadium.

Pakistan now lead the five-match series 2-1.

Enjoying an outstanding day in the field, the hosts first restricted Graeme Smith’s men to just 197 through a fine exhibition of bowling backed by some fine fielding and then kept their cool to achieve the winning target for the loss of only four wickets, thanks to magnificent knocks by prolific Mohammad Yousuf and skipper Shoaib Malik.

Set 198 to win on a deteriorating wicket, Pakistan adopted an attacking strategy from the outset, sending in Shahid ‘Boom Boom’ Afridi to open the innings with Yasir Hameed in place of Kamran Akmal.

Afridi delighted the fans by providing a brisk start of 42 in seven overs, his share being an 18-ball 32 which was studded with two sixes off Shaun Pollock besides four fours. He survived a dropped chance in the slips off Ntini on 13 before being caught by Smith.

Afridi’s departure saw the run-rate dropping drastically. Pakistan then lost two more quick wickets — of Younis and Yasir — as the hosts crossed the 50-run mark in 9.3 overs. Yasir was caught by Kallis in deep cover off Ntini for an uncharacteristic 46-ball 18. Younis’s ouster — caught by Johan Botha off Albie Morkel for 10 — made it 3-68 in 16.2 overs and it appeared as if the Proteas were gaining control.

Yousuf and Malik, however, thwarted the visitors’ hopes with a defiant fourth-wicket stand as Pakistan inched closer to victory. Yousuf remained a model of concentration in a patient 113-ball knock that held the innings together. He first put up 79 with Malik for the fourth-wicket before the latter departed for a 62-ball 42 with two fours and one six off Botha.

Yousuf then added a run-a-ball 55 with dashing Misbah-ul-Haq in an undefeated fifth-wicket stand to keep the opponents at bay. Misbah (29 not out) finished the game in style as he hit Morkel for a six over long-on amid loud cheers of the jam-packed crowd.

Earlier, Graeme Smith won the toss for a second time in the series and elected to bat. The skipper added 43 for the first wicket with Herschelle Gibbs who completed 7,000 runs in his 216th ODI. He was outsmarted by a sharp-looking Umar Gul when he gave a simple catch to wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal for a 26-ball 19 laced with four well-timed boundaries.

The South Africans soon lost their best batsman Jacques Kallis in Afridi’s first over with the total reading 57-2 in 14.2 overs. Kallis, who scored three hundreds in the two-Test series, has struggled during the ODIs and Tuesday was no different for him as he laboured through a 32-ball 13.

Smith, who held one end in a dogged innings, saw his third batsman A.B. de Villiers returning to the dressing room when medium-pacer Rao Iftikhar had him brilliantly caught by Afridi at cover for 17. Sohail Tanvir also kept the Proteas in check during a long first spell of nine overs.

At 77-3 in 19.5 overs, South Africans definitely looked in trouble. But Smith with his deputy Justin Kemp resolutely occupied the crease to help their side cross the 100-mark in 29.4 overs. At 122, Smith’s innings ended as he attempted a risky single and was beaten to the stumps by his counterpart Shoaib Malik’s throw from silly mid-off. He scored a steady 48 off 68 balls, hitting five fours.

Kemp was the next to go for a 74-ball 42, clean bowled by Afridi with the total at 162-5 in 41.5 overs. Kemp, who cracked the only two sixes of the innings off left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman, once again danced down the pitch for a big heave but was totally deceived by the flight of the delivery.

That triggered a mini collapse as Pakistan bowlers, backed by some fine fielding, claimed the remaining five wickets for just 35 as the South African innings folded at 197. Rao Iftikhar finished with three for 33 while Afridi ended up with impressive figures of three for 37.

Scoreboard

SOUTH AFRICA: