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Pakistan made history by completing a stunning 3-0 whitewash of South Africa in the ODI series, defeating the hosts by 36 runs in the final match. Chasing a target of 308 runs, South Africa was bowled out for 271, handing Pakistan a dominant victory.
With this victory, Pakistan became the first to whitewash South Africa in a bilateral ODI series at home.
In a rain-affected game reduced to 47 overs per side, Pakistan posted a competitive total of 308 runs after opting to bat first. The team faced an early setback when Abdullah Shafique was dismissed for a duck with the score at just 1 run. However, Saim Ayub and Babar Azam steadied the innings with a crucial partnership.
Saim Ayub played a stellar knock, scoring a century off 91 balls, including two sixes and 13 fours. His knock of 101 runs was his second century against South Africa and the third of his career. Babar Azam also contributed with a composed 52 off 71 balls, while Mohammad Rizwan added a solid 53 runs. Salman Ali Agha provided a quickfire 48 off 33 balls, further boosting the total.
South Africa’s bowling attack was spearheaded by Kagiso Rabada, who claimed three wickets. Jansen and Fortuin also picked up two wickets each, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Pakistan from posting a challenging total.
Having already secured a 2-0 series lead, Pakistan aimed for a clean sweep in this final match. In preparation for future challenges, the team made three changes to their playing XI, bringing in Tayyab Tahir, Mohammad Hasnain, and Sufyan Maqeem to replace Irfan Niazi, Haris Rauf, and Abrar Ahmed.
The Pakistan squad for the match included captain Mohammad Rizwan, Saeem Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, and Sufyan Maqeem.
