Rising star Saim Ayub smashed his second century of the series –- and his third in five innings –- as Pakistan secured a commanding 36-run victory over South Africa to complete a 3-0 series clean sweep in the third one-day international at the Wanderers Stadium on Sunday.
South Africa's chase faced a significant setback early in the innings as captain Temba Bavuma fell cheaply yet again, dismissed by Naseem Shah for just eight runs.
Tony de Zorzi and Rassie van der Dussen attempted to stabilize the innings, but with the score at 44, Shaheen Shah Afridi struck, catching de Zorzi off his own bowling after the latter had scored 23 off 26 balls.
Van der Dussen, who scored a composed 36, looked in good form and built partnerships with Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen. However, debutant Sufiyan Muqeem trapped Markram with his very first delivery, compounding South Africa's troubles.
South Africa's woes deepened when Saim Ayub, fresh off a spectacular century, bamboozled David Miller, leaving the visitors struggling at 123 for 5.
With half the team back in the pavilion, Klaasen, coming off a brilliant 97 in the previous match, showcased his exceptional form. Taking charge, he hammered the Pakistani bowlers and reached his half-century off just 29 balls.
Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, the relentless Klaasen kept South Africa in the hunt, scoring a quickfire 71 off 42 balls. However, just as the match appeared to slip away from Pakistan, Shaheen Shah Afridi delivered yet again, dismissing Klaasen and extinguishing South Africa's hopes of avoiding a clean sweep.
Marco Jansen and newcomer Corbin Bosch provided some late resistance, scoring 25 and 40 runs respectively, but their efforts were short-lived.
The visitors were eventually bowled out for 271, handing Pakistan a 36-run victory and a 3-0 series sweep.
Debutant Sufiyan Muqeem was the standout bowler, claiming an impressive four wickets, while Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah took two wickets each.
Saim Ayub, who scored two centuries and amassed 235 runs along with two wickets in the series, was deservedly named both the Player of the Match and Player of the Series.
Earlier in the day, South African captain Temba Bavuma won the toss and opted to bowl first under overcast conditions.
Pakistan's top-order struggles continued as Abdullah Shafique, failing to recover from a poor run of form, was dismissed for a duck for the third consecutive match in the series.
Babar Azam joined Ayub at the crease, and the pair cautiously added 10 runs before rain forced a delay of nearly 45 minutes. Following the interruption, the match was revised to 47 overs per side.
After play resumed, Babar and Ayub steadied Pakistan’s innings as together they form a solid partnership of 114 runs for the second wicket, with both reaching half-centuries.
Babar scored 52 off 71 balls, including seven boundaries, before falling to Kwena Maphaka off a short ball.
Ayub, having reached fifty, accelerated his innings and shared another crucial partnership with captain Mohammad Rizwan, adding 93 runs for the third wicket.
Ayub’s remarkable knock of 101 off 94 balls included 13 fours and two sixes, before he was dismissed by debutant Corbin Bosch.
South Africa fought back with two key breakthroughs. Bjorn Fortuin dismissed Kamran Ghulam off the first ball he faced, and Maphaka got rid of Rizwan for 53 off 52 balls, leaving Pakistan at 208/5.
Agha Salman and Tayyab Tahir, who is making his first appearance of the series, then added 74 runs for the sixth wicket. Salman played a blistering knock of 48 off 33 balls, while Tahir chipped in with 28, helping Pakistan to 308/9 by the end of their allotted overs.
Earlier, South African captain Temba Bavuma won the toss elecgted to bowl first at The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.
Although Pakistan, led by Mohammad Rizwan, had already secured the series with an unassailable 2-0 lead, they were eager to finish the ODI series with a win before focusing on the upcoming two-match Test series, which begins on December 26.
Both teams had a clean run-up to the match, with the weather cooperating after a brief delay earlier in the day.
The pitch, which had been covered during rain delays, was now ready for play as the teams set up for an exciting contest.
Mohammad Hasnain, Sufiyan Muqeem and Tayyab Tahir have been included in Pakistan's squad for the third ODI against South Africa, while pacer Haris Rauf and spinner Abrar Ahmed have been left out.
Pakistan defeated South Africa by 81 runs in the second ODI, clinching their third consecutive series win.
Set a target of 330, South Africa made a solid start but lost key wickets.
Shaheen Afridi delivered a match-winning spell, claiming four wickets, including the dismissals of Miller, Jansen, and Phehlukwayo, to leave South Africa reeling at 205/7.
Despite a valiant 97 from Klaasen, South Africa was bowled out for 248. Pakistan’s bowlers, led by Afridi (4/48), Naseem Shah (3/34), and Abrar Ahmed (2/53), dominated.
Kamran Ghulam was named Player of the Match for his blistering 63 off 32 balls, which helped Pakistan post 329/7 after opting to bat first.
The match was marked by a solid partnership between Babar Azam (73) and Mohammad Rizwan (51), while Kamran Ghulam's explosive knock lifted the total in the final overs.
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