Player of the Match
Player of the Match

And that is all we have for you, folks. It's time for me to shove off, but there's plenty more lined up for you, right from the report to the plays so scout around and enjoy what has been a truly exciting one-day match. This is Alagappan Muthu, signing off.

11.10pm Misbah-ul-Haq says Pakistan were in a good position until the last five overs but that over [Steyn's] changed the game. We had two set batsman and the equation was 30 balls 41 runs which was gettable. But Steyn's over and the over before [Morkel's which went for two runs] put pressure on us. We missed couple of chances in the field as well and one of them cost over 100 runs. Few run-out chances as well and had we got them we could have restricted them for under 250. Sohaib Maqsood was really something special on debut, with the confidence and maturity he showed. Every game is important, these are international games. No doubt we lost the series and we want to finish on a high. Yeah, looks like we are playing only South Africa. We are really playing each other a lot over the recent years.

Dale Steyn is declared the Man of the Match for his 10-1-25-5. The rest did help. Very happy with the performance, happy to win the series tonight itself. Actually I don't know what I was doing in that over, I was just trying to visualise my field, and AB was talking but all I could hear was just mumbling. But the team did well as a unit, AB made the right bowling changes and the pressure we put forced forced Pakistan to make the errors [in my over]. I guess that's my job, isn't it? I'm supposed to be an angry fast bowler and I was just reminding Hafeez that I'd got him out a couple of times and and to Misbah, I told him he was Pakistan's final hope. Just means it was going to be difficult to better. Happy to get another five-for. Its only my second one, not playing a lot of ODI cricket, but hopefully I go from strength to strength.

AB de Villiers is happy and proud of the boys with this series win away from home, especially after a really bad series in Sri Lanka. I wasn't thinking on Sharjah, was thinking of one ball at a time and focus on the present and try not to think too far ahead. Having won here two days ago, we had the confidence and having started well, we continued our momentum. If the decider had gone to Sharjah it would have been tight, but its good we wrapped things up here. Quinton de Kock is a serious talent for the future in South Africa for the first time I saw him play. I was expecting him to come through in two or three years time but to do it so so early, especially after a tough tour to Sri Lanka where he had some mental and technical issues is great. Nice to have Steyn in the team, I play around him and he has that killer instinct. Everyone had it in this game, even JP Duminy. I really enjoyed captaining tonight, it was a hard game, I knew it wasn't going to be easy and Pakistan would come at us hard which they did. We hit back with our patience and the communication was pretty good, Hashim was always at my ear and we took out catches and got some run-outs and things worked out. Its a very proud moment for me to win a series away from home and would love to make it 4-1.

Quinton de Kock says it is always a privilege to get that for your home country, just soaking in the moment. It was more, I made a mistake for my last game and maybe so this time I decided I'd just tick it around and work for my runs and it paid off. I dont know where that shot came from but I think it was just a reaction shot. This is definitely one of the best moments and hopefully more will come though. Yeah, AB came up and said "You beauty" and we just celebrated. I wouldn't say I really belong here yet. I haven't made my name in international cricket, I've only made one hundred and playing with people like Hash and AB and against players like MIsbah, I have a long way to go. I had a bit of luck through my innings. I'm just happy that we won the game.

Sohaib Maqsood says first of all thanks to Allah, I've been able to see the day to play for Pakistan. It is a huge dream come true, but it would have been better had we won. I'm naturally a stroke player and I've been in good nick in List A, but this is international cricket and the bowlers will come hard and you, so the best you can do is just go out and play your natural game. In the practice game the intensity was quite different, it was a crunch game today and I was just concentrating on playing my natural game. It doesn't matter whether Steyn or Morkel is bowling, it if was in my zone I was looking to hit it. People would say I had sat out for the first three games but it was a great learning experience and to be part of the squad for the first time. I watched those matches and I learned how things are done in international cricket. Had I played the first game things might have turned out differently. So I'm happy for my knock today. There wasn't a set plan to go after the bowlers in the batting powerplay, if there was something to hit, I would go for it, but the ball hit the bottom of my bat and I got out.

11.02pm Pakistan looked on course to overhaul the target, which admittedly was a difficult one when Misbah and Sohaib Maqsood were at the crease. Both of them marshalled the middle overs very well, but a flurry of late wickets, especially that over when Dale Steyn picked up three wickets, ensured it was a script that read so close and yet so far for Pakistan once again. Steyn was South Africa's trump card, providing break throughs every time they were needed. The quick picked up his second five-wicket haul in ODIs and his best bowling figures so far with 5-24 off 10 overs and so South Africa take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series. Do stick around for the presentation.

Dean Gatinho: "Pakistan choked... SA avoided that twice this series, hopefully a sign of good for the future"

Mudit: "Same old story..nothing after Misbah...loosing 5 wickets in 10 runs to self destroy a promising effort"

shailendra: "Well this is amazing bowling by steyn, his overs to maqsood were brilliant, he bowled every delivery with some purpose which is rare these days"

Tipu: "Disgusting, annoying, irritating, frustrating, infuriating, horrifying #World famous Pakistani collapse..."

49.2
W
McLaren to Junaid Khan, OUT, and there it is! leg stump yorker breaches his defences and South Africa have the win and the series. Junaid wanted to drill it through the off side again, but it was just too quick for him. McLaren punches the air, AB de Villiers kisses the South Africa crest on his uniform and that is that

Junaid Khan b McLaren 4 (8m 8b 0x4 0x6) SR: 50.00

49.1
1
McLaren to Mohammad Irfan, 1 run, right up there on middle stump and Irfan keeps it out as he drives down the ground and manages to get a single

hemantha: "30 needed off 0ne over.. can some one pull off a Ishant sharma?"

END OF OVER:
49 | 2 Runs | PAK: 237/9 (30 runs required from 6 balls, RR: 4.83, RRR: 30.00)

  • Junaid Khan4 (7b)
  • Mohammad Irfan1 (2b)
  • Dale Steyn10-1-25-5
  • Ryan McLaren9-0-58-0

wasif: "Can ICC intervene and award this match to Pakistan, i mean for the good of the game, they have crossed 200 batting 2nd !!"

48.6
0
Steyn to Junaid Khan, no run, this time he bowls a full length ball to which Junaid attempts a slog through the off side but misses

Pakistan 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st74Mohammad HafeezAhmed Shehzad
2nd11Mohammad HafeezSohaib Maqsood
3rd1Sohaib MaqsoodAsad Shafiq
4th88Misbah-ul-HaqSohaib Maqsood
5th6Misbah-ul-HaqSohail Tanvir
6th48Misbah-ul-HaqUmar Akmal
7th2Shahid AfridiMisbah-ul-Haq
8th1Shahid AfridiSaeed Ajmal
9th1Shahid AfridiMohammad Irfan
10th6Junaid KhanMohammad Irfan