Pakistan opener Saeem Ayub added his name to the list of the best batsmen in ODI cricket by scoring multiple centuries against South Africa.
Ayub’s century, his second in the series, made him an exclusive group of foreign batsmen who have scored multiple ODI centuries in South Africa.
Along with him, cricketers like Virat Kohli, David Warner, Fakhar Zaman and Joe Root have also achieved this feat, Kevin Pietersen and Kohli have scored three centuries each in South Africa.
Pakistan’s 36-run victory in the third ODI was built on a solid foundation, with the 22-year-old scoring 101 off 94 balls.
Babar Azam (52) and Mohammad Rizwan (53) also scored half-centuries.
Agha Salman’s blistering 48 boosted the total further, giving Pakistan a commanding 308/9.
South Africa’s chase was led by Henrik Klaasen who scored 81 runs off 43 balls and Corbin Bosch scored 40 runs.
However, the host team succumbed to the pressure and were bowled out for 271 runs in 42 overs.
Pakistan’s bowling attack was led by Sufyan Muqim, who finished with impressive figures of 4/52.
Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah also took two wickets each while Mohammad Hasnain and Saeem Ayub took one wicket each.
For his outstanding all-round performance, which included two centuries and 235 runs, with two wickets, Saim Ayub was named Player of the Match and Man of the Series in the final ODI.
This historic series win not only gave Pakistan a 3-0 whitewash against South Africa, but also cemented its name in cricket history as the first team to achieve this feat on South African soil.
The series also marked Rizwan’s third consecutive ODI series victory as Pakistan captain.
Their tenure began with a historic 2-1 series win against Australia – their first on Australian soil since 2002 – followed by a 2-1 victory over Zimbabwe earlier this month.