By Staff Reporter
LAHORE: Babar Azam displayed his batting mastery after Shaheen Shah Afridi spearheaded a superb bowling effort as Pakistan cruised to a four-wicket win over South Africa in the decisive third Twenty20 International at Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday.
Afridi claimed 3-26 to lead Pakistan’s attack, supported by two wickets apiece from Faheem Ashraf and debutant Usman Tariq, as South Africa were held to 139-9 after being sent in to bat. Azam then anchored the chase with a superb 68, including nine fours, guiding Pakistan to victory with six balls remaining. Afridi struck twice in the first over and nearly snared a third soon after.
Opener Quinton de Kock had his stumps shattered on the second ball by a delivery that jagged back, took an edge and clattered into the woodwork. Next ball, Lhuan-dre Pretorius spooned a catch to Tariq at short fine-leg. Pakistan thought they had a third when Dewald Brevis was adjudged lbw on the first ball of Afridi’s over, but the review showed the ball would have cleared the stumps.
South Africa reeled, their first boundary arriving only on the penultimate ball of the third over as Reeza Hendricks punched Afridi to the extra-cover fence. Afridi’s new-ball partner Salman Mirza, fresh from a strong showing in Friday’s second match where Pakistan bowled South Africa out for 110 to square the series, kept things tight.
Ashraf, player-of-the-match on Friday, conceded just two runs in the fifth over, with Mirza delivering a tidy sixth as South Africa limped to 22-2 after the powerplay. Brevis broke free with two sixes off spinner Mohammad Nawaz in the seventh over — one straight down the ground, the other over deep midwicket. But Brevis (21) fell soon after, holing out to Azam at long-on off Tariq’s second ball in international cricket for the debutant’s maiden T20I wicket.
Incoming Matthew Breetzke lasted briefly, his stumps shattered by a straightening delivery from Nawaz as South Africa slumped from 38-2 to 42-4.Captain Donovan Ferreira injected momentum with a six off Tariq, lifting South Africa to 56-4 at the halfway mark, before smashing two sixes and a four in Nawaz’s 11th over.
Ferreira’s blitz ended at 29 off 13 when he skied Ashraf to counterpart Salman Ali Agha at mid-off. South Africa lost a sixth wicket next ball as George Linde miscued Ashraf to Hasan Nawaz at midwicket, leaving Pakistan in command. Hendricks’ patient 34 off 36, with two fours, ended in the 15th over when he top-edged Tariq to Hasan Nawaz at deep backward square. Andile Simelane lofted Afridi for the innings’ fourth six, pushing the total past Friday’s low mark, but fell for 13 when caught at midwicket off Mirza in the 18th. Afridi grabbed his third by dismissing Lizaad Williams in the penultimate over, but Corbin Bosch’s unbeaten 30 steered South Africa to a competitive score.
Sahibzada Farhan launched Pakistan’s chase with a six over long-off on the third ball, but opener Saim Ayub fell in the second over, miscuing Bosch to Ferreira. Azam, greeted by rapturous cheers, pulled Williams for his first four on his ninth ball and cut another two balls later. He swept Linde for a one-bounce four next over as Pakistan ended the powerplay at 36-1.Farhan drove Ferreira for four but perished for 19, caught at deep midwicket off the South African captain on the last ball of the seventh.
Facing spin from both ends, Azam and skipper Ali Agha steadied the innings with a lone boundary in overs eight to 10, reaching 64-2 at the end of the 10th. Boundaries flowed in Ottneil Baartman’s 12th over: Ali Agha’s edge raced to third man after a misfield, before Azam struck three in succession to reach his half-century off 36 balls. Azam, back in the side for the series, added two more fours off Bosch in the 14th as Pakistan neared victory.
But neither Azam nor Ali Agha finished the job. Ali Agha struck his second boundary but fell next ball for 33 off 26, chipping Williams to Simelane in the 16th. Azam departed in the 17th, pulling Bosch to Hendricks at deep backward square to end his 47-ball knock. Two more wickets tumbled — Hasan Nawaz caught off Williams and Simelane bowling Mohammad Nawaz — but Pakistan sealed the win with an over to spare.
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