We wanted to win 2-0 and did just that: du Plessis

Faf du Plessis and Hashim Amla came up with fine batting performances while Wayne Parnell, Dale Steyn and Imran Tahir did well with the ball to help South Africa win the 2nd T20I against Pakistan by 6 runs to clinch the series 2-0. Opting to bat, the Proteas posted a competitive 150/5 thanks to an unbeaten 58 by du Plessis and 48 by Amla. Saeed Ajmal was the pick of the Pakistani bowlers, finishing with figures of 3/25. The hosts seemed on track to square the series, but losing wickets at crucial moments meant that they ended up 7 runs short of the target. After, Parnell (3/25) did the early damage, Pakistan recovered well and looked to be cruising towards the target at one stage before Tahir (2/20) and Steyn (2/21) delivered important breakthroughs to turn the game in favour of the visiting side. Skipper du Plessis praised the South African bowlers and the fielders and said his team played well under pressure. "It's a great achievement by the team. We played really well under pressure. We said we wanted to come here and win 2-0 and we did just that. There were times when Pakistan played really well and came back into the game. Our bowlers and fielders performed well. As a bowling unit we have certainly grown a lot over the last couple of months. Credit to them for the time and effort they have put into it." The clean-sweep meant that South Africa moved up to the second spot in the ICC T20I rankings. A delighted du Plessis, who was also named the Man of the Match and the Man of the Series, said the team is looking good at the moment although he reckoned that there is some room for improvement. The T20I skipper also expressed hope that his side can come up with a similar showing when they face Pakistan at home in a few days time. "There is always room for improvement. We are not the finished article, but we are on our way. It will be nice to be back in South Africa and we are looking forward to another series against Pakistan. We will try to beat them again 2-0." Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez was disappointed that the batsmen, after getting to starts, could not finish the job. "This is the sequence of the series. We are not finishing games well. When we needed to play normal cricket, we weren't able to handle the pressure. Every time we thought we were there, we couldn't finish it. The middle and lower order are not doing the job that is required. Finishing is required in this team. Credit goes to South Africa for bowling in the right areas." Pakistan's tour of South Africa, that starts on 20th November, will consist of 2 T20Is and 3 ODIs and Hafeez said they will have to show a lot of improvement if they are to offer the Proteas a challenge. The captain also mentioned that Mohammad Irfan, who suffered a hip injury, will undergo scans and his availability for the South African tour will be determined only after that. "We have to improve vastly as the tour of South Africa is not far away. Every player has to lift himself up for the team. Irfan is struggling at the moment and a scan will tell properly whether he can make it to the South African tour," Hafeez said.