3 key factors behind Pakistan's 3-0 ODI series sweep of South Africa
Pakistan are off to a flying start under Mohammad Rizwan's leadership in ODIs. After a morale-boosting whitewash in Australia recently, the Men in Green created history after clinching a 3-0 series win in South Africa too. Their recent displays have certainly elevated them from being a dark horse in the upcoming 2025 Champions Trophy.
An all-round display on Sunday (December 22) meant that Pakistan won by 36 runs (via DLS Method) in the series finale at The Wanderers in Johannesburg and headed into the Test series with a lot of confidence. The visitors did a lot of things right and were not too threatened by the conditions on offer.
Pakistan do have a more-than-respectable ODI record in South Africa, but a whitewash against a formidable Proteas unit was certainly unprecedented during the build-up to the tour. On that note, let us take a look at three key factors behind Pakistan's 3-0 ODI series sweep of South Africa.
3 key factors behind Pakistan's 3-0 ODI series sweep of South Africa
#1 Part-time bowlers
The majority of the spotlight will be cast on the big names like Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, and Mohammed Rizwan for their batting displays that were the backbone of the series win. However, it is hard to overlook the small contributions made by the part-time bowlers in the middle overs.
Team combination was always a headache for Pakistan, with the second or the third spinner (depending on the conditions) always claiming a spot at the expense of batting depth. Shadab Khan, Pakistan's spin general for long, lost his prowess with spin when he improved his batting.
Pakistan fielded only one frontline spinner in Abrar Ahmed this entire series. The rest of the spin bowling duties were handled by Salman Ali Agha and Saim Ayub. With two members in the top six chipping in with overs, it gave Rizwan multiple options to choose from, also making room for more batting depth since they do not have to field multiple frontline spinners. If they can continue in this fashion, it could benefit them even more in the subcontinent.
Furthermore, with Sufyan Muqeem also growing into the role, Pakistan have a spin department that can be relied upon. The previous spin department of Usama Mir, Shadab Khan, and Mohammad Nawaz did not offer the right balance to the side.
#2 Shaheen Afridi being a menace in all three innings
The Pakistan spearhead copped a lot of blows in the white-ball leg of the series, but it did not deter him from being potent in the entire series. He picked up seven wickets but what is interesting is the breakdown of those scalps.
Many disregard Afridi as a new ball specialist and even less now since his pace dropped slightly. However, in this series, the left-arm pacer struck only once in the powerplay. The majority of his wickets came in the middle and the death overs, especially the former, which could prove to be a game-changer.
If Afridi can make an impact in his middle-overs spell on a regular basis, he could set things up for the spinners and Haris Rauf, who predominantly operate in this phase.
Although he was not among the wickets with the new ball, it does not mean he was ordinary. He kept it full, searched for swing, and was unlucky on occasions to not pick up a wicket.
#3 Saim Ayub's brilliance and middle-order clarity
The biggest takeaway of the series is undeniably Saim Ayub with his twin tons. The left-handed batter is slowly turning into an all-format star and is among the first names on the team sheet.
His contributions were crucial since Abdullah Shafique never got off the mark from the other end. Apart from the runs he scored, the tempo at which he played was crucial in helping the team set up a platform, allowing middle-order batters to play more freely.
The middle-order had been Pakistan's biggest headache in white-ball cricket. Iftikhar Ahmed's repeated failures and Saud Shakeel's inconsistency meant that the team needed new options to bat around with Mohammad Rizwan in the middle.
The Men in Green seem to have found the solution in Kamran Ghulam and Salman Ali Agha. Both played crucial knocks in the series and were often the point of difference, as on the other side, Heinrich Klaasen always ran out of partners.
With the likes of Tayyab Tahir and Irfan Khan being groomed and given opportunities, Pakistan may finally have firepower in the middle order that can make the most of the foundation set by the top three.