LAHORE: Pakistan clinched the T20I series against South Africa 2-1 after a commanding four-wicket win in the third and final match at the Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday, powered by a classy half-century from star batter Babar Azam and a disciplined bowling performance led by Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Chasing a modest 140-run target, Pakistan reached home with six balls to spare, as Babar anchored the innings with an unbeaten 68 off 47 balls, laced with nine boundaries.
Earlier, Pakistan had a shaky start when opener Saim Ayub fell for a six-ball duck, leaving the hosts struggling at 8/1. Babar then combined with Sahibzada Farhan for a 36-run partnership before Farhan departed for 19 off 18 balls.
With the scoreboard reading 44/2, Babar joined skipper Salman Ali Agha, and the pair stabilized the innings with a fluent 76-run stand for the third wicket. Agha contributed 33 off 26 before being dismissed, while Babar continued to control the chase despite a late mini-collapse that saw four wickets fall in quick succession.
The equation narrowed to seven runs off the final 10 deliveries, but Faheem Ashraf (6) and Usman Khan (4) held their nerves to seal the win.
For South Africa, Lizaad Williams and Corbin Bosch took two wickets apiece, while Andile Simelane and Donovan Ferreira claimed one each.
Earlier, South Africa managed only 139/9 in 20 overs after Pakistan opted to field first. The returning Shaheen Afridi delivered a fiery opening spell, removing both openers Quinton de Kock and Lhuan-dre Pretorius for ducks.
The Proteas’ innings never truly recovered despite efforts from Reeza Hendricks (34 off 36) and Corbin Bosch (30* off 23). Dewald Brevis added 21 runs before falling to debutant Usman Tariq, while captain Donovan Ferreira’s brisk 29 off 14 balls provided brief resistance.
Shaheen finished with impressive figures of 3/26, supported by Faheem Ashraf and Usman Tariq, who picked up two wickets each. Mohammad Nawaz and Salman Mirza chipped in with one apiece.
The win capped off a strong comeback for Pakistan, who had been blown away by 55 runs in the series opener but bounced back to dominate the next two matches convincingly.
