Pakistan deliver pink day pummeling thanks to sublime Saim

At times comical, sometimes weird, with some high quality cricket in between — and some very poor bits too — this final ODI of the season, was never short of entertaining.

The Wanderers was treated to another glorious display of Saim Ayub’s marvellous talent, with cover drives, straight drives, flicks off the legs, and power sweeps, to make batting connoisseurs drool. He provided the excellence. 

The weirdness came via an impromptu rendition of the national anthem blasted over the public address system’s speakers, in the middle of the 43rd over of Pakistan’s innings while debutant Corbin Bosch received treatment. Having recovered, Bosch had to wait to bowl his next delivery until the final bars of Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika were completed. Pakistan’s Tayyab Tahir, showing no regard for local shows of patriotism and blasted the ball over the covers for four. 

There was also a wedding proposal — the proposee thankfully said ‘yes’ — and oh, a Mrs Rabeng, gave birth in the Wanderers medical centre. 

Baby and mom were both in good form according to officials from the Central Gauteng Lions Union, and taken via ambulance to a local hospital. The new addition took his first breath just as Saim started accelerating Pakistan’s run rate with an electrifying array of stroke play. 

Pakistan have a real gem on their hands with the 22 year old left-hand batter. It can only be hoped that despite the usually turbulent nature of cricket in that country, his talent can be nurtured, and not lost to the sport. 

In scoring two centuries in the ODI series and an unbeaten 98 in the second T20 International, he has shown South Africa will have a problem on their hands in the Test matches which will follow in a few days time. 

The Proteas certainly did not bowl well in the last 12 overs of Pakistan innings on Sunday, conceding 100 runs in that period. Saim’s dismissal, for 101, at the end of the 35th over, should have allowed them to take control. They picked up three wickets for the addition of 14 runs in 18 balls, that included both Saim and Mohammad Rizwan, who’d shared a partnership of 93 for the third wicket, but thereafter their ‘death bowling’ suffered an alarming collapse.

Having also conceded 105 runs in the last 10 overs in Cape Town, it’s clear that there is another problem — to go alongside all the extras that are being regularly conceded (which included 15 wides on Sunday) — that needs to be resolved before the Champions Trophy. 

Pakistan reached 308/9 at the end of an innings reduced to 47 overs because of rain, thanks to a 74-run sixth wicket partnership off only 47 balls between Tayyab and Agha Salman — during which the latter struck one of the shots of the season, a reverse scoop off the back of his bat that sent the ball sailing for six.

South Africa generally looked flat with the ball and in the field. Bjorn Fortuin dropped Babar Azam at point when he had 10, with Babar going on to score 52, while mis-fields on the ground handed Pakistan an extra 15 runs. Apart from Fortuin (2/56) and Kagiso Rabada (3/56), the home team’s bowlers struggled with their control.

The batting fared little better with the same difficulties that cropped up in the first two games apparent once more — the lack of runs from the top order. There have been four scores of 30 from the top order in the series, yet none of the batters have turned those starts into innings’ of substance. 

Meanwhile Aiden Markram looks bereft and it must be hoped his fragile confidence isn’t transferred to the first Test, starting on Boxing Day. 

It was left to Heinrich Klaasen to once again launch a furious assault, as he plundered his third half century of the series — a bruising 81 off only 43 balls — but it wasn’t enough to make up for all the errors from his teammates. The Proteas lost by 36 runs according to the DLS method. 

It was the sixth defeat in nine ODIs for SA this year and they will head into next year’s Champions Trophy competition with a whole lot more questions, than was the case ahead of last year’s World Cup.