South Africa had to pull out all stops to win the third one-day international against Pakistan by two runs at Dubai Sports City’s cricket stadium on Tuesday night to take a 2-1 lead in the Cool & Cool Cup series.
Chasing a target of 229, Pakistan had stumbled to 148 for six in the 41st over but young left hander Fawad Alam kept them in the hunt till the end after adding 56 runs in the batting powerplay overs with the help of Zulqarnain Haider and Wahab Riaz.
When Riaz (21) departed after cracking two fours and a six off just 11 balls, Pakistan required just 20 runs off 18 balls. But Rusty Theron bowled two tight death overs bowling tailender Saeed Ajmal in the penultimate delivery to seal the narrowest victory for South Africa in a one-dayer against Pakistan.
Alam remained unbeaten on 59 off 67 balls surviving two dropped catches off Hashim Amla and Morne Morkel during the frantic finish which contained many twists and turns.
Morkel had the best return of four for 47, three of which came in his second spell.
Earlier, a solid unbeaten century by opener Hashim Amla (119) helped South Africa reach 228 for nine.
Amla carried the South African innings which was rocked by the early dismissal of Jacques Kallis and Colin Ingram by Akhtar who justified Afridi’s decision to field first.
However, Amla demonstrating the resolve and technique which has made him the leading one-day run scorer this season, gave South Africa’s bowlers a competitive total to defend on a difficult pitch for batsmen. He faced 126 balls and stroked nine boundaries during his obdurate innings.
Akhtar had the best return of three for 39 while spinners Afridi and Mohammad Hafeez claimed two wickets apiece.
Amla reached his sixth one-day century – his fifth of the season – asserting his authority by picking two boundaries in the first over of the match bowled by Akhtar – an exquisite cover drive and flick to square leg. He reached his century by jabbing Akhtar for a single to third man when the bowler returned for his final spell. The only blemish in Amla’s near flawless knock came when he was on 78 as Asad Shafique failed to hang on to a stinging drive off Afridi’s bowling.
Both captains praised Amla’s knock.
“To keep it simple his was the best knock I have seen,” said Johan Botha. “Amla was in total control on a pitch where others struggled and he gave us the sort of score which we thought was defendable.”
Afridi said Amla and his team’s poor fielding were the difference.
“Amla was stubborn and we once again showed flaws in our fielding and gave away 30 extra runs which proved decisive in the end,” said Afridi.
Akhtar removed Kallis and the in-form Ingram in successive overs with slower deliveries to put South Africans on the back foot at 15 for two.
Kallis went for a duck in the third over of the innings after groping around for nine balls before Akhtar beat him with a deceptive ball and castled his stumps.
South Africa’s century maker in the last match, Ingram was the next to go playing early and chipping the slower one back to Akhtar.
AB de Villiers (19) was unlucky to be ruled out by the third umpire although TV replays suggested he was inside when he was stumped by Zulqarnain Haider off Afridi.
Jean Paul Duminy and Amla led South Africa’s recovery with a 59-run stand for the fourth wicket before off spinner Hafeez struck twice in quick succession.
Duminy (26) was caught behind attempting a late jab while left hander David Miller was beaten by a quicker delivery and saw his stumps disturbed by Hafeez after going on the back foot to have South Africa struggling again at 126 for five in the 29th over.
Morne Morkel (19) added 37 for the sixth wicket with Amla before holing out to Hafeez at long off attempting to hit Afridi out of the ground in the 40th over.
Tidy opening spells by Lonwabo Tsotsobe (6-1-10-1) and Morne Morkel (5-1-11-1) reduced Pakistan to 13 for two in the seventh over. Mohammad Hafeez and Younis Khan departed in identical fashion – caught by Botha attempting to cut.
Imran Farhat and Asad Shafique kept alive Pakistan’s hopes with a 85-run partnership for the third wicket though they never really got on top of the South African bowlers.
The two left handers were content to farm the bowling around and found it difficult to penetrate the field. Farhat’s knock of 47 off 86 balls contained only one boundary which were hard to come by. The partnership was broken when adjudged was short by a fraction failing to beat a throw from Rusty Theron returning for a second.
Afridi walked out to a loud ovation and duly obliged the crowd by hoisting the second ball he faced from his counterpart Johan Botha over extra cover to own the record for the all-time highest hitter sixes surpassing Sanath Jayasuriya’s tally of 352. But in the next over from Morne Morkel he was caught behind getting a thin edge attempting a cut.
Pakistan slipped to 121 for five with Shafiq (43 with three fours) stranded by a throw from David Miller after Fawad Alam set off for a quick single.
There was a flicker of hope when Abdul Razzaq (12) strode to the middle and hammered a boundary. But he departed in the 41st over attempting to smash a short one from Kallis which went through to De Villiers and Pakistan crashed to 148 for six.
Kallis was back in place of Robin Peterson while the absence of Graeme Smith saw Johan Botha leading the side again. The other key change was the arrival of Rusty Theron in place of Charl Langeveldt.
Pakistan left out their misfiring Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq after just four games into his international return and brought in Farhat.