Babar Azam’s fluent half-century and a strong bowling show helped Pakistan beat South Africa by four wickets in the third and final T20I at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, on Saturday. The hosts, who lost the first match, stormed back to win the last two games and take the series 2-1.
Afridi Strikes Early As South Africa Falter Again
Pakistan once again won the toss and opted to bowl, and the decision paid off immediately. Shaheen Shah Afridi struck twice in the first over, removing Quinton de Kock and debutant Lhuan-dre Pretorius to leave South Africa reeling.
Although Dewald Brevis survived an lbw decision through DRS, the visitors never recovered from the early collapse. Reeza Hendricks (34) and Corbin Bosch (30)* offered brief resistance, but the rest of the line-up faltered again. South Africa limped to 139/9 in 20 overs, undone by poor shot selection and Pakistan’s disciplined attack.
Afridi finished with 3-26, while debutant Usman Tariq (2-26) and Faheem Ashraf (2-28) kept up the pressure. Ashraf’s all-round efforts earned him the Player of the Series award.
Babar Leads From The Front
Chasing 140, Pakistan lost Saim Ayub for a duck and Sahibzada Farhan for 19, but Babar Azam anchored the innings with a classy 68 off 47 balls, hitting nine boundaries. Skipper Salman Agha (33 off 26) added valuable support in a 76-run stand that steadied the chase.
Despite a few late wickets, the hosts held their nerve to seal victory with six balls to spare.
‘Need To Be Clinical, But I’ll Take That’ — Agha
A good team backs up great performances. The T20 World Cup is a few months away — players know their roles, it’s about execution. We have a busy schedule, but I’ll take this result since we came back from 0-1 to win the series,” he said.
‘This Innings Was Due’ — Babar
For Babar, the innings was personal as much as it was pivotal.
The way the Lahore crowd supported us, this innings was due. I backed myself, and the team believed in me. I wanted to play according to the situation and work on my strengths.
‘Can’t Keep Losing Wickets In Clusters’ — Ferreira
South Africa captain Donovan Ferreira admitted his side’s batting has been a concern.
We didn’t perform with the bat once again. Bowlers fought hard, but there weren’t enough runs. The batters can’t keep losing wickets in clusters. Credit to Pakistan for keeping it simple.
Brief Scores: South Africa 139/9 in 20 overs (Reeza Hendricks 34, Corbin Bosch 30*, Ferreira 29; Afridi 3-26, Tariq 2-26, Ashraf 2-28) Pakistan 140/6 in 19 overs (Babar Azam 68, Salman Agha 33; Bosch 2-24, Williams 2-23) Result: Pakistan won by four wickets and took the series 2-1.
