Watch cricket video highlights of Pakistan tour of South Africa 2024. Third ODI between Pakistan and South Africa. Venue of the match will be Johannesburg.
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After losing to Pakistan by 36 runs in a rain-affected match at the Wanderers, South Africa was blanked for the first time in a bilateral ODI series at home. With stats of 1 for 34 and a second hundred in the series, Saim Ayub was a standout batsman. Sufiyan Muqeem, a rookie wristpinner, took 4 for 52 to raise doubts about South Africa’s ability to withstand spin once more. After losing to Afghanistan in Sharjah, South Africa has now only won one of three ODI series this year.
Under white-ball coach Rob Walter, who took over in February 2023, the team has also lost two of six ODI series. In contrast, Pakistan defeated Australia, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, and New Zealand to seal a sixth consecutive bilateral series victory. So far, Ayub’s summer in South Africa has been breathtaking. He led a formidable Pakistani effort at the Wanderers with 101 after scoring 98 not out in the T20I in Centurion and 109 in Paarl.
To provide Pakistan with the ideal foundation, he also shared in a 114-run combination with Babar Azam at the second wicket and a 93-run partnership with Mohammad Rizwan at the third wicket. Babar and Rizwan both mentioned half-centuries. Salman Agha and Tayyab Tahir’s sixth-wicket partnership of 74 off 47 balls, which put Pakistan’s total over 300, was followed by mini-collapses. As South Africa’s top-order batting issues persisted, their pattern of sluggish starts and explosive finishes continued to work well for them.
The only batter to reach a half-century, Heinrich Klaasen, did it in each of the three games. With an average of 88.00, he was also the series’ top run scorer, but he had no help until Corbin Bosch’s 44-ball 40, scored on debut at No. 8, kept South Africa in the hunt. Even though Kagiso Rabada beat the edge many times in the early going, South Africa was unable to maximize their opportunities after choosing to bowl first in gloomy circumstances. Later on, they battled with discipline.
The seamers were expensive, but Bjorn Fortuin and Aiden Markam bowled 13 overs of spin between them at a combined economy of 5.6 to the over. In his second ODI and first on his home field, Bosch and Kwena Maphaka bowled 15 overs for 119 runs and claimed a wicket each, while Marco Jansen’s nine overs cost 58 runs. When Rabada was edged to second slip by Abdullah Shafique, who recorded his third consecutive duck of the series, things got off to a good start for South Africa.
South Africa will keep in mind all of Shafique’s dismissals leading up to the Test match next week. Only 17 more deliveries were made before rain forced the players to leave the field for an hour and a half. When Babar sliced Marco Jansen to point 14 balls after the resumption, Pakistan may have lost. Bjorn Fortuin sprang to his right, but he missed the opportunity because his hands were not in the proper place. Babar would take a while to settle into his groove because he was on 10.
Rather, Ayub dismissed South Africa with two pull shots off Jansen and two drives off a Rabada over in the “v” to finish the Powerplay with Pakistan at 42 for 1. Bosch instantly shown his talent with deliveries over 140 kph, but Maphaka was costly during his debut stint, which lasted only two overs and cost 17 runs. He reached 50 off 54 balls when Ayub inside-edged one of his deliveries onto his box, but no significant damage was done. Maphaka came back from the other end, and although Babar had the upper hand at first, the 18-year-old got the last word.
After hitting Babar on the bottom hand, he lured him with a short ball, which Babar smashed short mid-wicket and straight to David Miller. Babar won’t record an ODI hundred this year for the first time since his debut in 2015. After 23 overs, Pakistan was 115 for 2, and Fortuin led the pressure with only six more runs added in the following three overs. In an 18-run over, Ayub blasted Maphaka through the covers, fine leg and long-off, relieving the pressure.
Ayub continued to strike boundaries, and in the following seven balls, he blasted four fours and a six to cruise into the nineties. In the 34th over, with Pakistan at 199 for 2 after 34 overs, he hit his century off 91 balls. Bosch was in a strong position when Ayub gloved him down leg to Heinrich Klaasen, earning him his maiden international wicket. At that point, big-hitting Kamran Ghulam joined Rizwan, who was on 45 off 44 balls. Although he attempted, he was unable to replicate his antics from Newlands, when he hit a 63 off 32 balls.
Temba Bavuma nabbed him after he cut Fortuin high over cover. After reaching 50 off of 48 balls, Rizwan gave Fortuin a second by top-edgeing him to short third. Fortuin finished with 2 for 56 and was one of just two bowlers to produce 10 overs. The other was Rabada, who took 3 for 56 late in his last stint after dismissing Salman and Shaheen Shah Afridi in consecutive deliveries. Salman and Tayyab had already caused significant damage, but South Africa claimed four wickets in five deliveries for five runs to keep any heavy hitting from being effective in the end.
During their time together, they hit three sixes and five fours. Rain disrupted Pakistan’s batting after 3.1 overs, causing a 15-minute delay. The game was shortened to 47 overs per side due to the 75-minute interval. When the rain started and South Africa’s aim was changed, they had to chase 308 because Pakistan was 10 for 1. It appeared to be just mathematical at 212 for 7, but Bosch’s 40 and his run-a-ball finishes of 38 and 21 for the eighth and ninth wickets kept them in it. In 42 overs, they were knocked out for 271.
Although the chase was always going to be difficult, South Africa’s response got off to a fast start, reaching 24 in three overs when Bavuma played Naseem Shah to Ayub at point. Bavuma has removed his right hand from the handle during a stroke for the second time in the series, which might worry South Africa before the Tests. Bavuma had a left elbow injury and has just recently recovered. On the drive and the pull, Tony de Zorzi seemed threatening, but Shaheen Shah Afridi bounced him out.
Before Aiden Markram gave up his wicket to Muqeem’s first delivery, he and Rassie van der Dussen had taken South Africa to 15 overs at 80 for 2. Even before there were enough overs bowled to end the match, Markram put South Africa in difficulty with a dirty short ball that went straight to deep mid-wicket. With the DLS par score of 136 in 20 overs looming over him and a little rain falling, Klaasen entered the room and went to work.
He faced Muqeem, who bowled too short and too flat, but South Africa was held back by Rassie van der Dussen’s departure on the final delivery of the 20th over. It was Van van Dussen’s tenth innings without an ODI half-century as he got out lbw to Mohammad Hasnain for 35. Rizwan was prepared to take the catch in a leg slip position, anticipating David Miller’s lap-sweep off Ayub, who may have been South Africa’s last chance. Even Klaasen’s single hand could not help South Africa, who were 123 for 5.
In his following over, he smacked Shaheen Shah for 10 runs off three balls and four fours in an over, reaching fifty off 29 balls, then drove him to deep square leg, thereby ending South Africa’s battle. Although he ran out of partners to bat out the overs, Bosch demonstrated his value as a lower-order batter. In order to give Muqeem his four-fer and raise numerous concerns for South Africa before the Champions Trophy, Rabada and Maphaka were removed in quick succession.
