Shadab and Amir star in Pakistan's consolation win
Beuran Hendricks' four-for and Chris Morris' maiden T20I fifty went in vain as Pakistan ended their tour of South Africa on a positive note
Beuran Hendricks' four-for and Chris Morris' maiden T20I fifty went in vain as Pakistan ended their tour of South Africa on a positive note
Scorer: Ranjith P | Commentator: @gomorezvidinha
9.34pm Pakistan wrap up a 27-run consolation win at the end of what has been a challenging tour. They weren't quite at their best with the bat tonight, but Pakistan showed their class with the ball once again to secure victory. After dominating the Test series and edging to a 3-2 win in the ODIs, South Africa have wrapped up a 2-1 series win over the world's No. 1 ranked T20 side. They have also blooded some exciting new talent, and there is plenty of healthy competition as the hosts build towards their World Cup campaign. Chris Morris 2 wickets and unbeaten fifty today, while not enough to secure a win, will do his own case no harm. Pakistan will also leave South Africa with plenty of lessons learned. Babar Azam's undeniable talent continues to develop, while Pakistan have a star in the making in Shaheen Shah Afridi.
"So Pakistan wins the series by 14 runs on total runs scored....right?" -- Wehaaj, I've got some bad news. No.
Nomo Rupani: "@Arslan Satti - agree that Babar has been a revelation. I don't want to sound negative, but he scored a 69, 71, 72, 90 on the tour - could have scored a century on each occasion but didn't. I hope that changes on his next tour."
David De Villie: "Morris for man of the match, 4 overs, 2 wickets at an economy of 6.75 and a 55*"
faheem : "what about t20 ranking now? " -- Before today's game, Pakistan were on 134 points, followed by India (125) and South Africa (120). After the defeat, Pakistan drop to 133 points but still stay first. South Africa, though, jump to 122 points.
Raja T: "@Nomo Rupani: Totally agree, he needs to convert these scores to big ones. Once he crosses 50, his batting average is achieved and he thinks his job is done. That has been the problem with batsmen from Pakistan all along. Wonder this will change"
"A win is something that always gives you satisfaction," says Shoaib Malik. "When you enter the dressing room there are some smiling faces. Youngsters have learned a lot from this tour, but in those crunch positions we broke and that's where we need to improve. If we look at all three games, we could have won in the first two but these things happen in cricket. The thing is how you come back from it, and if you get the same thing in future, how you handle crunch situations. Afridi is a remarkable find from Pakistan. He's got talent and he's improving day by day. Having him in our team is a great sign. Pace bowlers keep coming and winning games for us, and we want batsmen to do the same. Babar Azam has performed consistently, and we need more batsmen to perform consistently abroad. It's not just about getting chances, but about developing your game. I would like to congratulate the South African team for winning all three series."
Shadab Khan is the Player of the Match. "It's been a good tour, competitive cricket, and a learning process. It's good for us," he says.
David Miller is the Player of the Series. "We came out and showed our class in all three formats. Tonight was a disappointing result, but really chuffed with a series win. Captaincy was really enjoyable. It tested me a bit, but the guys made it easy. I was supported by management and players. You always look at where you go wrong or right, and there are things I can do differently. Hopefully I learn from those things. Guys have really put their hands up to compete against the best T20 team in the world, and beaten them as well. There is a lot of depth in South African cricket."
South Africa assemble for a team photograph as they lift the series trophy, and that brings our coverage of this game, and this series, to an end. Read Danyal Rasool's match report for a closer look at all of tonight's action. We hope you've enjoyed our commentary as much as we've enjoyed bringing it to you. From Sreshth Shah, and from myself Liam Brickhill, it's goodbye and smell you later!
Last over coming up, and Afridi will bowl it. Morris wants **checks notes** 40 from the final 6 deliveries of Pakistan's tour
Beuran Hendricks' four-for and Chris Morris' maiden T20I fifty went in vain as Pakistan ended their tour of South Africa on a positive note
The South Africa pacer on his thinking coming in to bowl the final over against Pakistan in the previous T20I, and how he held his nerve to seal the deal
The last time Pakistan failed to win any game in a three-match T20I series was against England in the UAE in November 2015