Pakistan capitulate yet again

Pakistani batsmen again committed hara-kiri and were given a 117 run walloping by South Africa in the fifth and final ODI in Sharjah. AB de Villiers starred with the bat for the Proteas with a brilliant ton before their bowlers tormented the hopeless and woeful Pakistan batting line-up and bundled the hosts out for a paltry 151 within 36 overs. With this victory, South Africa completed a comprehensive 4-1 series win over Pakistan. South Africa won the toss and elected to bat in the dead rubber. They made three changes - Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Imran Tahir were replaced by Wayne Parnell, Vernon Philander and Robin Peterson. Pakistan drafted in Umar Amin in place of Asad Shafiq. Mohammad Irfan gave the hosts an early breakthrough trapping Hashim Amla leg before wicket for 3 off the fifth ball of the innings. He, along with Sohail Tanvir, maintained a tight leash on the South African openers as the visitors could only muster 11 off the first 4 overs. Quinton de Kock broke the shackles hammering four consecutive boundaries off Irfan in the fifth over of the innings. That gave the innings the necessary momentum. The Proteas had managed a healthy 45 off the mandatory powerplay. Spin was introduced at both ends and both Ajmal and Hafeez dried up the runs and pressure was created on the incumbent batsmen. de Kock fell to Ajmal for 34 off 41 deliveries in the 13th over and a couple of overs later Hafeez saw the back of Duminy. Just 33 runs were scored in the 10 overs after the powerplay. AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis began the resurrection process. The progress was slow and even the singles were at a premium. South Africa reached triple figures in the 28th over. Just two boundaries were scored between the 20th and the 30th overs. It was a gruelling graft at the crease for the batsmen. Slowly but surely, the pair put up a fifty run stand and took their team to 114/3 after 30 overs. Junaid Khan broke the partnership when he dismissed du Plessis for a patient 46 off 89 deliveries. The fight for runs in the middle continued and South Africa could just scrap 21 off the batting powerplay (35.1 - 40 overs) for the loss of David Miller's wicket who became Ajmal's second victim. South Africa had moved to 154/5 after 40 overs. The arrival of Ryan McLaren at the crease infused a new energy level in AB's batting. He raised his half-century off a blistering pull of Ajmal which sailed into the deep-midwicket stands for his first maximum. AB had so far curbed his natural instincts and played the situation. His fifty had consumed 70 deliveries. McLaren got going with two boundaries off Irfan to start the 42nd over. AB launched into Ajmal in the next picking up a four and a six off consecutive balls. The innings was finally given some impetus as 42 runs were scored in the 5 overs after the batting powerplay. McLaren carved three successive boundaries of Junaid Khan in the 47th over before AB picked up a couple of Ajmal in the next. McLaren fell to Ajmal for 27 off just 24 balls. de Villiers continued on his merry march and tore into Junaid Khan in the final over of the innings, picking 18 of the left-armer himself. In the process, he registered his 15th ODI ton off just 99 deliveries. He had raced from fifty to hundred in just 29 deliveries. Junaid conceded 25 off the final over, by far the most expensive of the innings. South Africa had posted a more than competitive 268/7 off their allotted 50 overs. A whopping 114 runs were scored in the final 10 overs. Ajmal was the pick of the Pakistani bowlers and picked up 3 wickets conceding 45 off his 10 overs. He became the leading wicket-taker in ODIs for 2013 (with 48 wickets) overtaking Ravindra Jadeja's tally of 46 wickets. Shahid Afridi was also very economical and gave away just 37 of his full quota. The Pakistani pacers were disappointing and went for 167 runs off their collective 27 overs. The momentum was clearly with the visitors as the two teams went into the innings break. Pakistan were off to a disastrous start when Ahmed Shehzad holed out to Vernon Philander at deep fine-leg for 2 to end the 4th over. Philander could not be kept out of action as he cleaned up Mohammad Hafeez in the next before trapping Umar Amin plumb in front of the wickets in the 9th. Pakistan were now reeling at 21/3 after 9 overs. Sohaib Maqsood and Misbah-ul-Haq were circumspect to start with. Misbah broke the shackles heaving Tsotsobe for a six in the 12th over. Maqsood picked up a couple of fours in the next off McLaren. The pair raised Pakistan's fifty in the 14th over and were looking good at the crease just before Misbah fell to McLaren caught at short mid-on going for a pull. The Pakistani skipper departed in the 17th over for 18. Umar Akmal and Maqsood were again left to re-build the innings. They did not get bogged down and found the fence with reasonable regularity. Akmal was given a reprieve when he was dropped by de Kock behind the stumps on 19 in the 23rd over bowled by Parnell. The right-hander could not make the most of the opportunity and fell shortly after, adding just 11 to his tally. He was dismissed for 30 to become Duminy's first victim. An aspiring 54 run stand had come to an end. Sohaib Maqsood again impressed with his choice and execution of shots but realised he was running out of partners. He registered his second successive fifty before Afridi mistimed a pull to Parnell who obliged by taking a simple catch off his own bowling. Pakistan were now reeling at 128/6 in the 30th. Maqsood ran out of patience and was next in line holding out to Philander at long-on for an excellent 53 off 65 deliveries. Duminy had picked up his second scalp. The rest of the Pakistani innings was a mere formality and the home team collapsed to a massive 117 run defeat. They had been cleaned up for 151 within 36 overs. The Pakistani batsmen had committed hara-kiri. A combination of some fantastic bowling by the South Africans coupled with a reckless and very poor batting effort by Pakistan meant that the Proteas were the comprehensive 4-1 series winners. Pakistan had lost their last five wickets for a mere 23 runs. None of their batsmen, barring Maqsood and Akmal showed any responsibility or the will to stay at the crease. Parnell was rewarded with three wickets for his efforts while Philander, Duminy and McLaren chipped in with two each. It was an all too familiar suicide by the Pakistan team, something which has become synonymous with their batting.