Benoni – Winning the toss and opting to bat first, Pakistan were all out for 205 in the final Momentum One Day Series match against South Africa at Willowmoore Park, in Benoni, on Sunday.
The five-match series is level at 2-2.
Once again, the first ten overs of the day proved damaging for the batting side and Pakistan found themselves two wickets down at that point.
Mohammad Hafeez (5) was the first to go, getting an edge to Dale Steyn, taken by Colin Ingram at second slip.
Lonwabo Tsotsobe removed the other opener with a lengthy delivery which Imran Farhat tried to punch through cover but, instead, he got an edge and was caught behind after scoring 13 runs.
Kamran Akmal and Younus Khan formed the only substantial partnership of the innings, adding 66 runs for the third wicket.
Their stand was broken by an outstanding catch taken by Ryan McLaren, at backward square-leg, to end Kamran Akmal’s innings. He was two runs short of his half-century and was caught trying to sweep a delivery from Robin Peterson.
Part-time bowler Farhaan Behardien took the crucial wicket of Younus Khan, who had laboured to 29 off 58 balls. Hashim Amla timed his jump perfectly, at midwicket, to pluck the ball out of the air.
And then McLaren struck twice in one over to see off the two big hitters Shoaib Malik (28) and Shahid Afridi, who only faced three balls for his duck.
McLaren was the pick of the bowlers, taking a third wicket for his 32 runs. He got the scalp of captain Misbah-ul-Huq, who also struggled to his 24 runs, off 46 deliveries.
Morne Morkel, playing in his first match of the ODI series after suffering a hamstring injury, chipped in with two wickets at the end, for 33 runs, to finish off the innings. – Sapa