Fakhar Zaman, Faheem Ashraf power Pakistan to T20I series win against South Africa
Fakhar Zaman (60) and Faheem Ashraf (3/17) brought their 'A' game to the table in the final T20I against South Africa to help Pakistan win the series 3-1.
Despite losing the toss, South Africa got off to a good start in Centurion. Rassie van der Dussen (52) scored a half-century to take the team's score past 100.
However, the middle-order and the lower middle-order could not contribute much as Pakistan bowled the Proteas out for 144 runs in 19.3 overs.
Chasing 145, Pakistan cruised to 92/1 in 9.1 overs, riding on Fakhar Zaman's 34-ball 60. However, like South Africa, Pakistan's middle-order collapsed. Mohammad Nawaz (25*) played a fantastic cameo to guide his team home on the penultimate ball.
Brief Scores: South Africa 144 (Rassie van der Dussen 52, Janneman Malan 33; Faheem Ashraf 3/17, Hasan Ali 3/40) lost to Pakistan 149/7 (Fakhar Zaman 60, Mohammad Nawaz 25*; Sisanda Magala 2/33, Lizaad Williams 2/39) by three wickets.
Pakistan won the toss and invited the home team to bat first at SuperSport Park. Aiden Markram, who had scored a hat-trick of half-centuries in the first three games, lost his wicket to Mohammad Nawaz (1/40) for just 11 runs.
Janneman Malan (33) and Rassie van der Dussen rebuilt the innings with a 57-run partnership for the second wicket. However, after Malan and van der Dussen's dismissals, none of the other South African batsmen could get going in the middle.
Faheem Ashraf removed South African skipper Heinrich Klaasen (9) and all-rounder George Linde (4) inside two overs, while Hasan Ali (3/40) ran through the lower middle-order to reduce South Africa to 141/8.
Haris Rauf (2/18) and Shaheen Afridi (1/19) completed the formalities by dismissing Tabraiz Shamsi (0) and Bjorn Fortuin (8), respectively.
Fakhar Zaman ends the South African tour with another magnificent performance
Fakhar Zaman was the star performer for Pakistan during their brief tour of South Africa. After a memorable ODI series, Zaman signed off on a high with a 34-ball 60, comprising five fours and four sixes.
Thanks to Fakhar Zaman's performance, Pakistan did not allow South Africa to gain the upper hand, although Bjorn Fortuin (1/26) sent Mohammad Rizwan back to the dressing room before he opened his account.
Babar Azam (24) stitched a 91-run second-wicket stand with Zaman. However, the South African bowlers fought back by taking six wickets between 9.2 and 18.2 overs. In that duration, Pakistan managed only 37 runs.
The equation eventually came down to 16 runs off ten deliveries. Mohammad Nawaz kept his nerve in the final moments as he smashed two big hits to ensure Pakistan ended the tour with two series victories.