Babar Azam showed his dominance with the bat after Shaheen Shah Afridi led a brilliant bowling performance from Pakistan as the hosts cruised to a four-wicket victory over South Africa in the series-deciding third Twenty20 International at the Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday.
Shaheen took 3-26, being the highlight of Pakistan’s bowling attack, in which Faheem Ashraf and debutant Usman Tariq picked up two wickets each, as South Africa were restricted to 139-9 after being put into bat.
Babar then provided an anchor in the chase with a brilliant 68, with nine fours, as Pakistan cruised to victory with six balls to spare.
Shaheen made Pakistan a two-wicket shuttler midway through the first over and almost bagged a third victim two balls later.
Opener Quinton de Kock’s stumps came apart on the second ball of the innings with a delivery that deflected back, found an edge and hit the woodwork.
On the next ball, Lhuan-dre Pretorious then took a catch to Usman Tariq at short fine leg.
Pakistan were in dreamland when the umpire judged Dewald Brevis lbw on the first ball of a spectacular opening, only for the decision review system to show the ball was going to rise above the stumps.
South Africa were reeling and their first boundary only came on the penultimate ball of the third over when opener Reeza Hendricks pushed Shaheen towards the extra cover fence.
Otherwise, things remained tense thanks to Shaheen’s new ball partner Salman Mirza, who had a brilliant performance in the second match of the series a day earlier, where Pakistan had bowled out South Africa for 110 to level the series, without giving much away.
Faheem, player of the match on Friday, gave up just two runs in the fifth over and Salman bowled a tidy six as South Africa moved to 22-2 at the end of the powerplay.
Brevis, however, broke the shackles with two sixes from spinner Mohammad Nazwaz in the seventh over, the first straight to the ground and the second to deep mid-wicket.
Brevis (21), however, departed soon after and debutant Usman Tariq took his first T20I wicket with the second ball of his career; the South African batsman found Babar Azam at long-on as he tried to make it big once again.
Incoming starter Matthew Breetzke did not last long, seeing his stumps smashed by Nawaz with a ball he straightened after bowling in the next over as South Africa fell from 38-2 to 42-4.
Captain Donovan Ferreira provided further impetus with a six from Usman as South Africa reached 56-4 midway through their innings, then upped the ante with two sixes and a four in the 11th over bowled by Nawaz.
But Ferreira’s run of big hits did not last long as, after scoring 29 for 13, he holed out his counterpart Salman Ali Agha midway through Faheem’s next over.
South Africa were six down on the next ball and George Linde found Hasan Nawaz at midfield with Pakistan firmly on top.
Hendricks’ long and patient stay at the crease ended in the 15th over when Usman edged Hasan to deep square and back to go for 34 off 36 with two fours.
Incoming Andile Simelane then lifted Shaheen for the fourth six innings to set South Africa’s total above Friday’s under-par effort, but he departed after making 13 when Salman Mirza caught him at midwicket in the 18th over.
Shaheen got his third wicket when he returned Lizaad Williams in the penultimate over, but Corbin Bosch (30 not out) ensured South Africa reached a respectable total.
Sahibzada Farhan got Pakistan’s first runs in the chase with a six over on the third ball of his innings, but lost his opening partner Saim Ayub in the second over – the left-hander lost to Ferreira de Bosch.
Babar, who arrived to cheers from the crowd, hit his first four off the ninth ball off a sumptuous delivery from Williams and then cut it for two more deliveries later.
Babar was in the mood and swept Linde for four bounces in the next over as Pakistan reached the end of the powerplay at 36-1.
Sahibzada then got his second boundary, pushing Ferreira down the ground for four, but he pulled away soon after when the South African captain trapped him at deep mid-wicket for 19 off the last ball of the seventh over.
Faced with both ends, Babar and captain Salman Ali Agha attempted to stabilize the chase with just a boundary between eighth and tenth, at the end of which Pakistan were 64-2.
Boundaries, however, came thick and fast in Ottneil Baartman’s 12th over: Agha’s lead flew towards the third-man fence after a fielding error before Babar scored three in a row to raise his half-century off 36 balls.
Babar, who returned to the side for the series, was putting on a show and got two more boundaries in the 14th over off Bosch as Pakistan closed in on the target.
However, Babar and Salman, offering capable support at the other end, could not take Pakistan all the way.
Salman had just got his second boundary but died on the next ball, having made 33 off 26, when he passed Williams to Simelane in the 16th over.
Babar fell in the next over, when he drove Bosch towards Hendricks at deep square and behind to end his 47-ball knock.
Two more wickets followed Babar’s fall when Hasan was caught by Williams and Nawaz was cleaned up by Silemane, but Pakistan finally closed it out with an over to spare.
