Abrar bags four to dismiss South Africa for 143

Innings South Africa 143 (De Kock 53, Abrar 4-27, Afridi 2-18, Agha 2-18) vs Pakistan

Pakistan's spinners, Abrar Ahmed in particular, wreaked havoc on a slow, low Faisalabad pitch to bundle out South Africa for 143 in the series-deciding third ODI.

After opting to bat, South Africa captain Matthew Breetzke had hoped for runs on the board in a big game. Quinton de Kock and Lhuan-dre Pretorius seemed to be doing exactly that when they added 72 for the first wicket. But South Africa collapsed spectacularly after that, losing their last eight wickets for 37 runs. Abrar was the chief destroyer, finishing with a career-best 4 for 27.

Earlier, Pakistan had started defensively, with Saim Ayub opening the bowling with Shaheen Shah Afridi. The ploy seemed to work as the two gave away only ten runs in the first four overs.

Then, in the fifth, Afridi bowled a back-of-the-hand slower ball. De Kock spotted it early and lofted it over the bowler's head for a four. Afridi went pace-on for the next ball, only to be drilled down the ground for another boundary.

Haris Rauf, who returned to the side after serving a two-match ban, came into the attack in the seventh over and induced an outside edge of Pretorius' bat. It would have been a regulation catch for first slip had there been one. Instead, the ball raced away for four. Pretorius rubbed it in by smashing Rauf for two more fours in the next three balls.

Salman Agha provided the breakthrough in the 15th over, having Pretorius caught at long-off for 39. Tony de Zorzi fell soon after, chipping Agha tamely to extra cover.

De Kock carried on for a bit and completed 7000 ODI runs. He became the second-fastest to the mark after his countryman Hashim Amla, getting there in 158 innings. He brought up his fifty with a reverse-swept four off Mohammad Nawaz but was lbw two balls later when he tried to slog-sweep the spinner.

Abrar then ran through the middle order with three wickets in two overs. Debutant Rubin Hermann was the first to go; he failed to pick the googly and was bowled. Donovan Ferrieira was the next up. He failed to connect the sweep and the ball clipped the exposed leg stump. Corbin Bosch was undone by the low bounce and was bowled for a first-ball duck.

There was no hat-trick for Abrar but he had Breetzke caught behind in his final over to hasten the end.

South Africa's lower order tried to resist but Afridi wrapped up the innings in the 38th over with two wickets in two balls.