Innings break Pakistan 308 for 9 (Ayub 101, Rizwan 53, Babar 52) vs South Africa
Saim Ayub scored a second hundred in the series, and a third in his nine-match ODI career, to take Pakistan to 308 in 47 overs. Their innings was delayed by 15 minutes and interrupted by rain for 75 which means South Africa will face an adjusted target of 308 - one run fewer than Pakistan scored.
After his 98 not out in the T20I in Centurion and 109 in Paarl, which anchored the successful chase of 240, Ayub anchored a strong Pakistan effort at the Wanderers. He shared in a 114-run second-wicket stand with Babar Azam and a 93-run third-wicket partnership with Mohammad Rizwan to give Pakistan the perfect platform. They lost 3 for 15 but Salman Agha and Tayyab Tahir put on 74 off 47 for the sixth wicket at a scoring rate of 9.65 to push the total towards 300. Their template of slow starts and explosive finishes continues to work well for them, although a late collapse may leave them feeling a little short.
After opting to bowl first in overcast conditions, South Africa were unable to maximise their chances, despite Kagiso Rabada beating the edge several times early on, and then struggled with their disciplines later on. Bjorn Fortuin and Aiden Markam bowled 13 overs of spin between them at a collective economy of 5.6 to the over but the seamers were costly. Marco Jansen conceded 58 runs in his nine overs while Corbin Bosch, on debut, and Kwena Maphaka, in his second ODI and first on his home ground, bowled 15 overs between them for 119 runs and picked up a wicket apiece.
Things started well for South Africa when Abdullah Shafique edged Rabada to second slip to register his third successive duck of the series. Two of Shafique's dismissals have come nicking off, which South Africa will remember ahead of next week's Test. Play only continued for another 17 deliveries before rain returned and kept the players off the field for an hour and a quarter.
Pakistan resumed in challenging conditions and could have lost Babar 14 balls after the restart, when he cut Jansen to point where Fortuin leapt to his right but got his hands in the wrong position and dropped the chance. Babar was on 10, and would take some time to get into his rhythm. Instead, It was Ayub who took South Africa on with two drives off a Rabada over in the "v" and then two pull shots off Jansen to end the powerplay with Pakistan on 42 for 1.
Rabada bowled a six-over spell upfront before being replaced by 18-year old Maphaka who brought good pace. Ayub top-edged him over fine leg for six but then found his control and drilled him through mid-on. Maphaka's first two overs cost 17 and he was taken out of the attack early.
At the other end Bosch, on debut, immediately showed his potential with deliveries above 140kph and delivered four impressive overs. Ayub inside-edged one of his deliveries onto his box and required some recovery time, which brought the first drinks break forward. No major damage was done as Ayub brought his fifty up off the next ball he faced, his 54th.
Maphaka returned and Babar drove him through the covers and then pulled him through midwicket to bring up fifty but Maphaka had the last laugh. In his next over he hit Babar on the bottom hand, which required treatment, and then tempted him with a short ball that Babar sent straight to David Miller and short midwicket. This year will be the first since Babar made his debut in 2015 that he has not scored an ODI hundred.
Pakistan were 115 for 2 after 23 overs and added only six runs in the next three overs as Fortuin led the squeeze. But the pressure was released when Maphaka was brought back. Ayub smoked him through the covers, fine leg and long-off in an 18-run over. Runs kept coming in boundaries for Ayub and he hit four fours and a six in the next seven balls he faced to gallop into the 90s. He reached his century off 91 balls, in the 34th over with Pakistan 199 for 2 after 34 overs.
Ayub became Bosch's first international wicket when he gloved him down leg to Heinrich Klaasen but left them in a good position. By then, Rizwan was on 45 off 44 balls and joined by big-hitting Kamran Ghulam. He could not repeat his antic from Newlands, where he smashed a 32-ball 63, but tried. He sliced Fortuin high above cover first ball and was caught by Temba Bavuma.
Rizwan got to 50 off 48 balls but then top-edged Fortuin to short third to give him a second. Fortuin was one of two bowlers to deliver 10 overs and finished with 2 for 56. Rabada was the other and struck late in his final spell when he removed Salman and Shaheen Afridi in successive deliveries to take 3 for 56. South Africa took four wickets in five balls for five runs to prevent some big-hitting from being fruitful at the end but Salman and Tayyab had already done major damage. They hit five fours and three sixes in their time together and South Africa will have a mountain to climb to claim a consolation win. Pakistan have already won the series with victories in Paarl and Cape Town.
