Abrar and Ayubs brilliance power Pakistan to first-ever home series win against South Africa

Pakistan clinched their first-ever home series victory over South Africa after defeating the visitors by seven wickets in the third and final ODI of the three-match series. Chasing a modest target of 144, Pakistan sealed the win in just 22.5 overs. The match was played on a slow and low Faisalabad pitch that offered significant assistance to the spinners.

Batting first, South Africa got off to a strong start thanks to a 72-run opening partnership between Quinton de Kock and Luhandre Pretorius. At one stage, the Proteas were comfortably placed at 106 for 2, but Pakistan’s mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed turned the game around with a brilliant spell of spin bowling. He ripped through the South African middle order, claiming 4 wickets for just 27 runs. With support from Shaheen Shah Afridi and Salman Agha, South Africa were bowled out for 143 in 37.5 overs.

De Kock was the top scorer with 53 runs, and during his innings, he reached the milestone of 7,000 ODI runs, becoming the second-fastest player in history to achieve the feat.

In reply, Pakistan had a cautious start as Fakhar Zaman fell early to Nandre Burger after scoring 14 off 14 balls. However, Saim Ayub changed the course of the innings with a fluent and commanding performance. He remained unbeaten on 77 off 70 balls, smashing eight fours and two sixes, steering Pakistan comfortably to victory. While Babar Azam contributed 27 runs before being dismissed, Ayub’s aggressive yet composed innings completely shifted the momentum in Pakistan’s favor.