The best ranked side in the world secured a consolatory win in the third and last match of the T20 series against South Africa on Wednesday.
Asked to bat first by David Miller, Pakistan got off to a flying start thanks to Babar Azam’s early onslaught. But, Bueran Hendricks pulled the run-rate down steadily once he removed Azam and clocked career best figures of 14/4.
The visitors stumbled into the last over having lost all but one of their ten wickets. In the next six deliveries, Shadab Khan pummelled Andile Phehlukwayo for 21 runs to help his side to 168.
The second innings commenced with another fantastic showcase of bowling from Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim, as they removed both the openers within the first three overs while conceding a mere 14 runs.
The chase never gained any impetus of significance with the rest of the Proteas offering little resistence against the relentless Pakistani bowlers. Though Chris Morris salvaged his maiden T20 half century for South Africa towards the end, his team fell short of the target by 27 runs.
While the well oiled bowling squad coupled with Khan’s heroics secured Pakistan the match at Centurion, the hosts still take the series 2-1. Captain Miller was named the Man of the Series for his contributions in the previous fixtures.
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