JOHANNESBURG: Pakistan won the third and final match at The Wanderers on Sunday by a margin of 36 runs, completing an extraordinary clean sweep of their One-Day International series in South Africa.
For the first time ever, South Africa has lost all of its games in a home ODI series. The Champions Trophy is coming up in a few months, thus this will be particularly painful for the host team. Their last crushing defeat was 1–5 against Australia in 2002.
Saim Ayub’s 101 from 94 balls, the left-handed opener’s second century of the series and his third in nine ODIs, helped Pakistan to 308 for nine after South Africa ordered the tourists to bat in a match that was cut to 47 overs per side due to rain.
Ayub scored 109 in the series opener against South Africa in Paarl last week and 113 not out in the second one-day match against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo last month.
Pakistan exploited a mainly inexperienced South African bowling attack with the help of 50s from Babar Azam and captain Muhammad Rizwan, as well as Salman Agha’s 48 off 33 balls.
Using the Duckworth Lewis-Stern system, South Africa’s aim was lowered by one run to 308, but they continued to lose wickets at regular intervals.
Heinrich Klaasen was the only South African to get a half-century for the third straight game. Until he was sixth man out, caught on the square leg boundary off Shaheen Shah Afridi in the 29th over, he maintained South Africa ahead of the necessary run rate.
Debutant Corbin Bosch was left stranded on 40 not out from 44 deliveries, and the Proteas were bowled out with five overs left.
With his combination of carrom and off-spin deliveries, Ayub followed up his century by taking one for 34 in 10 overs, getting the crucial wicket of David Miller and generating the most economical figures of any bowler in the game.
On Thursday, the teams begin a two-game test series in Pretoria. To secure a spot in the World Test Championship final at Lord’s next year, South Africa must win one of those matches.
