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South Africa suffered a historic loss to Pakistan, losing by 36 runs in a rain-affected match at the Wanderers, marking their first-ever home ODI series whitewash. Saim Ayub was the standout performer, scoring his second century of the series and taking 1 for 34 with the ball. Debutant wrist-spinner Sufiyan Muqeem also impressed, taking 4 […]
South Africa suffered a historic loss to Pakistan, losing by 36 runs in a rain-affected match at the Wanderers, marking their first-ever home ODI series whitewash. Saim Ayub was the standout performer, scoring his second century of the series and taking 1 for 34 with the ball. Debutant wrist-spinner Sufiyan Muqeem also impressed, taking 4 for 52 and continuing to challenge South Africa’s struggles against spin.
This defeat means South Africa have won just one of their three ODI series this year, having also lost to Afghanistan in Sharjah. Under white-ball coach Rob Walter, who took over in February 2023, South Africa have now won only two of six ODI series. Meanwhile, Pakistan secured their fifth consecutive bilateral series win, following victories over New Zealand, Afghanistan, Australia, and Zimbabwe.
Ayub has been in sensational form, scoring 98* in a T20I and 109 in Paarl earlier in the series. At the Wanderers, he anchored Pakistan’s innings with 101, forming key partnerships with Babar Azam (who scored 50) and Mohammad Rizwan (who added 52). Pakistan’s total exceeded 300 despite mini-collapses, aided by a crucial 74-run partnership between Salman Agha and Tayyab Tahir, whose explosive finish boosted the total.
Pakistan’s strategy of slow starts followed by explosive finishes continued to be effective, while South Africa’s top-order batting issues persisted. The loss marked a disappointing end to a challenging series for South Africa.
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Heinrich Klaasen was the standout performer for South Africa in the series, finishing as the leading run-scorer with an impressive average of 88.00. Klaasen was the only batter to score a half-century in all three matches. However, he lacked support from his teammates, with Corbin Bosch providing some resistance on debut. Bosch scored 40 runs off 44 balls, keeping South Africa in the chase, but it was not enough to prevent the series loss.
South Africa’s bowling attack, after opting to bowl first in overcast conditions, failed to capitalize on the early breakthroughs. Kagiso Rabada made early inroads, beating the edge on multiple occasions, but the seamers struggled with their discipline. Bjorn Fortuin and Aiden Markram bowled 13 overs of spin at an economy rate of 5.6, but the seamers, including Marco Jansen and Bosch, were costly. Jansen’s nine overs conceded 58 runs, while Bosch and Kwena Maphaka gave away 119 runs in their combined 15 overs, taking only one wicket between them.
The match started positively for South Africa as they dismissed Abdullah Shafique for a third consecutive duck, caught by Rabada in the second slip. However, rain interrupted the play for over an hour, and Pakistan capitalized after the restart. Though Babar Azam was dropped soon after the rain delay, it was Saim Ayub who seized the initiative. Ayub played some scintillating shots, including two drives off Rabada and two pull shots off Jansen, taking Pakistan to 42 for 1 by the end of the Powerplay.
Maphaka struggled early in his spell, but Bosch’s pace was impressive, clocking deliveries above 140kph. Ayub reached his half-century off 54 balls and continued to punish the South African bowlers. He brought up his century off 91 balls in the 34th over, with Pakistan at 199 for 2. Ayub’s powerful strokeplay continued as he hit four fours and a six in quick succession. He was eventually dismissed by Bosch, caught by Klaasen down the leg side, but by then, Pakistan was well-positioned for a big total.
Despite Ayub’s dismissal, Pakistan’s lower order, led by Rizwan and Kamran Ghulam, continued to press the attack. Rizwan reached 50 off 48 balls before falling to a top-edge off Fortuin. South Africa fought back in the latter stages, with Rabada taking two wickets in consecutive deliveries to finish with 3 for 56. Fortuin also impressed, taking 2 for 56 in his 10 overs. However, it was the partnership between Salman Agha and Tayyab Tahir that proved most damaging, with the pair smashing five fours and three sixes to propel Pakistan to a commanding total. Despite a late collapse, Pakistan’s total proved too much for South Africa to chase.
Pakistan’s innings faced a delay of 15 minutes and a rain interruption after just 3.1 overs. The 75-minute break reduced the match to 47 overs per side, with Pakistan at 10 for 1 when the rain began. South Africa’s target was adjusted to 308. Despite reaching 212 for 7, it seemed out of reach, but Bosch’s 40 and two crucial partnerships with the lower order kept the chase alive. South Africa were eventually bowled out for 271 in 42 overs.
The chase was always going to be difficult, but South Africa started strong, reaching 24 after three overs. However, Temba Bavuma was dismissed by Naseem Shah, playing a shot straight to Ayub at point. This marks the second time in the series Bavuma has taken his hand off the handle during a shot, a concern for South Africa ahead of the upcoming Tests. Bavuma has just returned from a left elbow injury.
Tony de Zorzi looked promising with some aggressive strokes but was bounced out by Afridi. Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen put on 80 for 2 after 15 overs, but Markram’s poor shot selection resulted in his dismissal to debutant Muqeem, leaving South Africa in deep trouble. Markram hit a short ball straight to deep mid-wicket, adding to the team’s woes.
Klaasen entered the fray amid light rain, with the DLS par score of 136 in 20 overs looming over him. He responded by attacking Muqeem, who bowled too flat and short, but van der Dussen’s dismissal on the penultimate ball of the 20th over left South Africa reeling. Van der Dussen was dismissed lbw to Mohammad Hasnain for 35, marking his 10th consecutive ODI innings without a half-century.
David Miller’s arrival provided a glimmer of hope, but Rizwan’s anticipation of a lap-sweep off Ayub ended his innings. South Africa were 123 for 5, and despite Klaasen’s brave 50 off 29 balls, the fight was slowly extinguished. Klaasen blasted Afridi for four fours in an over, but his dismissal to deep square leg all but ended South Africa’s chances. Bosch continued to fight with the lower order but ran out of partners. Rabada and Maphaka were dismissed in successive balls, giving Muqeem his four wickets and leaving South Africa with several questions to answer ahead of the Champions Trophy.
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