CAPE TOWN: Captain Mohammad Rizwan praised his charges and said it was a team effort that helped Pakistan secure their second consecutive major one-day international away series with a comprehensive 81-run win over South Africa at Newlands on Thursday.

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

Overall, it was their fifth successive bilateral ODI series win – and their third of the southern hemisphere season, having also won in Zimbabwe – as Pakistan gather momentum towards the Champions Trophy, which they will host in February .

“It’s a team game, from start to finish all the boys are involved and contribute,” said Rizwan at the award ceremony.

Veterans Babar Azam (73) and Rizwan (80) laid the foundation for an above-average total of 329. The impetus for their total came from a superb 63 off 32 deliveries from 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 scoring 97.

“Saim Ayub (25)’s start was good for us, we needed momentum,” Rizwan added. “Babar and I started slowly but Kamran Ghulam’s innings was absolutely fantastic.

“We were looking for 300 but we got more than 300, I have to give him credit. I had trust in him, but not like that…that was different. The start (in the second innings) of (spinner) Abrar Ahmed, he gave us a wicket and there were good partnerships in the bowling as well.”

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

“We are really excited and the morale of the team is really good,” he said at a press conference. “The environment is good and we all got along well.

We won in Australia and now here and of course that boosts the confidence… we’re looking forward to playing in the Champions Trophy.”

On his sensational power hitting, Kamran, who hit five sixes, added: “The conditions in South Africa didn’t worry me. In Pakistan I learned to play in all conditions and that experience helped me.”

One of the positives for Pakistan was the return of star players Babar and Shaheen to form.

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

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

“Babar is our senior batsman and he will gain confidence from this,” said Kamran, who added, “Shaheen bowled brilliantly and quickly.”

South Africa captain Temba Bavuma, who returned to the team after sitting out the first ODI, regretted that his team missed the game.

“We had things under control in the first 25 overs but in the last 25 we let it unfold,” he said at the presentation ceremony. “We let the good work of the first 25 go to waste.”

He was self-critical 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 took three first-class wickets and slowed the scoring, allowing the required run rate to gradually increase.

South Africa still scored more quickly than Pakistan in most innings, but although all of the first six batsmen made starts, only Klaasen scored significantly.

“These starts need to be converted into big results for the team,” Bavuma said.

SCOREBOARD

PAKISTAN:

Saim Ayub c van der Dussen b Maphaka 25

Abdullah Shafique vs. Klaasen vs. 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 runs out (Maphaka) 4

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

TOTAL (all out, 50 overs) 329

CASE 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 eliminated 1

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

TOTAL (all out, 43.1 overs) 248

CASE 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 leads the three-match series 2-0.

Published in Dawn, December 21, 2024