South Africa secured a dominant 10-wicket victory over Pakistan to seal a 2-0 series whitewash at Newlands Stadium, Cape Town, on Monday.
Set a modest target of 58 runs for victory, the South African openers chased it down comfortably in just 7.1 overs. David Bedingham led the charge with a quick-fire 44 off 30 balls, including four boundaries and two sixes, while Aiden Markram contributed a solid 14 off 13 balls.
Earlier, Pakistan, who were bowled out for 194 in response to South Africa’s mammoth 615 in the first innings, were dismissed for 478 in their second innings. Following on, Pakistan started Day 4 with a score of 235/2, but the loss of Khurram Shahzad (18) to Marco Jansen left them at 235/3.
Kamran Ghulam contributed 28 runs before falling to Kagiso Rabada, and the score stood at 278/3. Shakeel and Shan Masood, with a resilient 51-run stand, stabilized the innings before Rabada dismissed Shakeel for 23. Masood, who played a brilliant knock of 145, was later trapped LBW by Kwena Maphaka, leaving Pakistan at 329/5.
Salman Ali Agha and Mohammad Rizwan fought back with an 88-run partnership, but Rizwan's dismissal for 41 led to another collapse. Salman fell for 48, and Pakistan was left at 441/7.
A partnership of 37 runs between Mir Hamza and Aamer Jamal stretched Pakistan’s total to 478, but Jamal's dismissal by Maharaj ended the innings at 478/8, with Hamza the final wicket to fall.
South Africa’s bowlers Keshav Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada each claimed three wickets, while Marco Jansen and Kwena Maphaka took two and one, respectively. For Pakistan, Masood’s century and Babar Azam’s 81 on Day 3 were the key highlights. South Africa's disciplined bowling kept them in control throughout the match.
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