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Klaasen heroics upstaged by Afridi and Ghulam as Pakistan win ODI series

football19 December 2024 20:44| © MWP
By:Ross Roche
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A fantastic effort with the bat from Heinrich Klaasen was unable to pull the Proteas out of the mire as they crashed to a heavy 81-run defeat in the second one-day international against Pakistan at World Sports Betting Newlands in Cape Town on Thursday night.

Having won the opener by three wickets in Paarl on Tuesday, it sealed the three-match series for the visitors ahead of the final match at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Sunday.

The Proteas were completely outplayed in all departments, while Klaasen was man alone in the chase as he clubbed his way to 97 off just 74 balls, striking eight fours and four sixes, only to receive no help from the rest of the order with the next best score 34, as they were all out for 248.

For Pakistan middle-order batter Kamran Ghulam smashed an entertaining half century, to inspire them to an imposing first-innings score of 329 all out, while it also earned him the man-of-the-match award.

Pace bowler Shaheen Afridi then started with a poor opening spell, only to return towards the end of the innings and rip through the Proteas' middle and lower order on his way to figures of 4-47, to lead them to a convincing win in the end.

“I though we had control of the game in the first 25 overs. We didn’t have the wickets but we had the run rate in check. But in the next 25 we let them express themselves too much and they added over 200 runs, and that was always going to put us under pressure,” said Proteas captain Temba Bavuma after the match.

“So we let go of all the good work that we did in the first half of the innings. We then let ourselves down with the bat. We haven’t scored the amount of hundreds that we are accustomed to and we know as a batting unit it isn’t good enough.

“So that’s something we have to improve on. I think it’s a positive that guys are getting in, but then for the sake of the team we need those starts to be converted into big contributions.”

KLAASEN JUST MISSES OUT ON A TON

The Proteas' chase never really got off the ground as they lost regular wickets up top to stop any momentum they were trying to build.

Temba Bavuma (12), Tony de Zorzi (34), Rassie van der Dussen (23) and Aiden Markram (21) all got starts but fell cheaply with the Proteas struggling on 113-4 in the 22nd over, while Afridi had bowled four straight overs at the start, and had been expensive, going for 29 runs during that time.

David Miller (29) then arrived at the crease to join Klaasen and they sparked hopes of a revival with a run-a-ball 72-run fifth-wicket partnership to give the Proteas a chance.

Klaasen was the aggressor, but after starting slowly Miller was just getting into his stride when Afridi returned to turn the game.

His first ball back was crunched to the offside boundary for four by Miller, but his second delivery almost cut the batter in half and induced a flicker of an inside edge that was proved correct on review to break the dangerous stand.

At 185-5 it was still game on, as Klaasen proved by pumping spinner Salman Agha for back-to-back sixes in the next over, but it was now all Afridi as he yorked Marco Jansen (3), and pinned Andile Phehlukwayo (1) LBW, also on review, to make it three wickets in three overs as they fell to 205-7.

Bjorn Fortuin (9) seemed to have got the memo as he initially fed Klaasen the strike as they combined for a 38-run stand, only for him to suffer a rush of blood to the head as he skied Naseem Shah to Babar Azam at cover to essentially end the challenge with them 243-8.

It was then almost criminal that Afridi didn’t get a five wicket haul, as he had Kwena Maphaka (1) caught behind by keeper Mohammad Rizwan, before Klaasen skied him to Saim Ayub at deep midwicket, only for him to put down the easy chance.

Having been reprieved on 92 Klaasen might have thought he could get to what would have been a fully deserved century, but in trying to reach the mark in style he was caught on the boundary off Shah to end the match.

MAPHAKA IMRESSES ON DEBUT

In the first innings Ghulam smashed five sixes and four fours in his 32-ball 63 to finish off the innings with aplomb after captain Rizwan, 80 off 82 (7x4; 3x6), and Azam, 73 off 95 (7x4), had set the platform.

Most of the Proteas' bowlers came in for a bit of tap, but young Maphaka on debut picked up an impressive 4-72, while Jansen also got among the wickets with 3-71.

The Pakistan innings got off to a poor start as opener Abdullah Shafique fell for his second straight duck of the series, edging Jansen to keeper Klaasen in the second over with the score 5-1.

First-game centurion Ayub (25) and Azam then combined for a 48-run second-wicket stand to get them up and running, only for teenager Maphaka to make the breakthrough, as Ayub top edged him to Van Der Dussen at third man as they slipped to 53-2.

That brought Rizwan in and along with Azam they superbly set up the platform for Ghulam with a 115-run third wicket partnership.

They took their side past the 100-run mark, Azam brought up his half century by cracking Aiden Markram for a four and single in the 25th over, while Rizwan brought up his fifty by slog sweeping Bjorn Fortuin over deep midwicket for six and then knocking a single in the 30th.

Just as they were looking to kick on Phehlukwayo made the breakthrough, as Azam hammered a ball straight to Markram at midwicket in the 33rd, leaving them on 168-3.

Rizwan followed three overs later, as Maphaka took a sharp catch in his follow through to end his stay, as they slipped to 192-4.

Needing to rebuild going into the final 10 overs, Ghulam took centre stage, sharing in a 50-run stand with Agha, 33 off 30 (3x4; 1x6), and dominated a 49-run partnership with Irfan Khan (15) as they powered towards 300.

Having carried his side over the mark Ghulam was then one of three wickets to fall over the final six balls of the innings in an action packed finish.

SOUTH AFRICA: Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma (capt), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Andile Phehlukwayo, Bjorn Fortuin, Kwena Maphaka, Tabraiz Shamsi

PAKISTAN: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (capt, wk), Kamran Ghulam, Salman Agha, Irfan Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed

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