Saim and Sufiyan clinch ODI clean sweep for Pakistan
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Saim Ayub© Gallo Images
Opening batter Saim Ayub struck a magnificent century and debutant Sufiyan Muqeem took four wickets with his left-arm wristspin as Pakistan beat South Africa by 36 runs in the Pink ODI at a packed Wanderers in Johannesburg on Sunday.
After victories in the first two ODIs, this meant that the tourists whitewashed the three-match series after South Africa had earlier claimed the T20I series 2-0. The first of two test matches starts in Centurion on Boxing Day with Pakistan now riding a wave of positive momentum.
Chasing a formidable 308 for victory after the over count for both teams had been reduced to 47 because of early rain, South Africa looked dead and buried when they lost half their team for 123 with only Heinrich Klaasen of the established batters remaining.
But Klaasen, the Proteas’ batting mainstay in the series with innings of 86, 94 and 81, batted brilliantly in his 43-ball innings that included 12x4s and 2x6s, to give South Africa hope. Although he eventually holed out on the midwicket boundary, debutant Corbin Bosch carried on the rearguard action, remaining unbeaten on 40. Unfortunately for him and his team, he didn’t receive enough support from the other end as the innings subsided to 271.
Sufiyan seemed an unlikely hero for his team when he came on to bowl, beginning with a series of half-trackers as he was pumped for 26 off his first two overs. Those overs did, however, include the valuable wicket of Aiden Markram who obligingly mistimed a long-hop to deep midwicket.
And when Sufiyan was reintroduced later in the South African innings, he quickly regained his poise, inducing Marco Jansen to hole out to deep mid-off before he swept through the tail, claiming the scalps of Bjorn Fortuin for eight, Kagiso Rabada leg before for 14 and Kwena Maphaka bowled first ball. His final figures of 4/52 were key for his country.
Earlier the Proteas’ top-order flattered to deceive with Tony de Zorzi undone by a vicious lifter from Shaheen Afridi after an aggressive cameo of 26 in 23 balls including two fours and two sixes, while Rassie van der Dussen was trapped leg before for 35 by Mohammad Hasnain when he looked set to break out.
Ayub enjoyed a tremendous all-round match. In addition to his superb century, he also grabbed the wicket of SA kingpin David Miller for three, brilliantly caught by wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan when Millier tried to lap a ball down the legside. His figures of 1/34 in 10 overs were vitally economical and he also added two catches to his overall accomplishment.
Bavuma had earlier won the toss and asked Pakistan to bat in cloudy, damp conditions. Perfectly on cue, Rabada took the first wicket with the second ball of the innings, having Abdullah Shafique caught by Aiden Markram at slip. It was his third consecutive duck of the series.
Saim’s fine knock, full of elegant drives and flashing pulls and hooks, was his third hundred in just nine ODIs for the 22-year-old Karachi-born left-hander and his second ton of this series.
What was particularly impressive was that the conditions were suitable for fast bowlers at the start of the innings, with Rabada, in particular, exploiting the damp conditions that led to some extravagant seam movement up front.
But after disposing of Shafique, South Africa were not to enjoy any further breakthroughs for some time. Saim and Babar Azam initially had to battle to counter the South African pace attack but they were always attentive to the boundary balls delivered, taking an increasingly heavy toll as the ball softened and the weather improved.
Saim and Babar had added 114 in 133 balls for the second wicket – setting up the innings perfectly – when Babar pulled a short delivery from Maphaka straight to Miller at midwicket. Babar, who was dropped at point by Bjorn Fortuin on 11, struck his 52 in 71 balls, including seven fours. It was his 35th ODI fifty.
After a brief period of adjustment, skipper Rizwan provided Saim with the perfect accompaniment as the pair accelerated the run rate by slamming 93 in 75 balls for the third wicket.
Saim eventually fell for a superb 101 in 94 balls in an innings that included 13x4s and 2x6s, giving South Africa’s debutant, Bosch, a prized first wicket in ODIs. The young batter has enjoyed a tremendous tour of South Africa which has included two ODI hundreds and an unbeaten 98 in the T20Is.
The steady building of the foundations certainly paid off for Pakistan in the latter stages of the innings when Salman Agha (48 off 33 balls) and Tayyab Tahir (28 off 24) bludgeoned 74 off 47 balls for the fifth wicket. There was a flurry of wickets at the end of the innings as Pakistan threw caution to the winds, but their final total was an impressive one.
For the Proteas, Rabada was the most successful bowler with 3/56 while Jansen and Fortuin claimed two wickets apiece. South Africa will have been concerned about the number of wides, 15, that dominated the extras’ count of 17.
SOUTH AFRICA: Temba Bavuma (capt), Tony de Zorzi, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Bjorn Fortuin, Kwena Maphaka, Kagiso Rabada
PAKISTAN: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (capt & wk), Salman Ali, Kamran Ghulam, Tayyab Tahir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Sufiyaan Muqeem
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