PAK VS SA: Greens claim South Africa ODI Series as Saim Ayub scores 77

ISLAMABAD: Greens were able to defeat Proteas in the Pak vs SA ODI Series decider as Pakistan’s top-order Saim Ayub registered a 70-ball 77 massive while chasing a 143-run modest total to which the South Africa were earlier restricted after Abrar Ahmed took key wickets during their first innings of the PAK VS SA ODI final match.

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Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Quinton de Kock went in the beginning to open the innings of their side. The top order scored (39 off 45) and (53 off 70) each respectively, creating momentum for following batters. However, the forthcoming batters couldn’t manage a big difference as the Greens did give an all time tough momentum to them in the PAK VS SA ODI decider.

Pakistan Batting Line

Pakistan sent their top order Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub in beginning with an aim to chase down the unexpected 144-run target that the guest team had earlier posted. However, that couldn’t work as Fakhar went for a duck following the pressure that the South Africa team built at the crease. He was followed by seasoned batter Babar Azam to provide a confident stay at crease with Saim Ayub.

Thankfully, Saim Ayub was able to stay at the crease too, securing 77 runs total (featured with 1 long hit and 11 fours) before losing to the opponent’s Bjorn Fortuin. Babar Azam too managed 27 runs with which he completed his 15 thousand career-total. Following his run-out case, and the departure of Saim, Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha each respectively stepped in.

Rizwan added 32 off 45 while Agha got the opportunity to jerk the total chase for 5 off 2 balls to claim the game and win the last three-ODI series played at home.

South Africa Batting Line

Out of all the best batting performers were only the top order batter as said above, however there were a few others too who pushed their scoring total for a little high.

Following top order, Tony de Zorzi and Mathew Breetzke scored only 2 and 16 but were downed by Salman Ali Agha and Abrar Ahmed each respectively.

Rubin Hermann managed just a single run before falling to Abrar Ahmed, who soon struck again to dismiss Donovan Ferreira for 7. Abrar continued his fine spell, sending Corbin Bosch back for a duck to tighten the grip. Bjorn Fortuin chipped in with 3 runs before being removed by Mohammad Nawaz. Nqaba Peter offered brief resistance with 16 before Shaheen Afridi broke through to end his stay. Nandre Burger remained unbeaten on 3, while Lungi Ngidi fell without scoring — another scalp for Shaheen, who maintained a tight and lethal line throughout.

PAK VS SA ODI Series

The three-match contest is evenly poised at 1-1, making this final clash crucial for both sides. Pakistan, under the leadership of Shaheen Afridi, are desperate to break their streak of back-to-back series losses to New Zealand and the West Indies. A win today would not only seal the series but also restore much-needed confidence ahead of their upcoming assignments.

Pakistan’s lineup features Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman at the top, followed by skipper Babar Azam and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan in the middle order. Salman Agha, Hussain Talat, and Faheem Ashraf provide all-round options, while Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Mohammad Wasim Jr make up the bowling attack.

The head-to-head record favours South Africa, who have won 53 of the 89 ODIs between the two sides, while Pakistan have claimed 35 victories, with one match ending without a result.