South Africa won the third one-day international by 13 runs at Iqbal Stadium on Tuesday after Pakistan failed to complete its quota of 50 overs in the stipulated time of three-and-a-half hours.
Under the Duckworth-Lewis formula — devised to help umpires decide the outcome of one-day internationals when play is interrupted by bad weather or the day shortened by failing light — South Africa only had to score 208 for six after 45 overs to win.
The visitors were 221 for six at the end of 45 overs.
Amid failing light, Australian umpire Darrell Hair and Pakistan’s Nadeem Ghauri offered batsmen Shaun Pollock and Andrew Hall the opportunity to end the match according to the formula, which they accepted.
South Africa’s victory on Tuesday narrowed the gap in the five-match series to 2-1. Pakistan made 243 for eight off its 50 overs.
Half centuries by Jacques Kallis and captain Graeme Smith gave South Africa once again a solid start as they hammered Pakistan bowlers all over the park in the first 17 overs.
Kallis made 62 and Smith scored 51 and were especially harsh on paceman Umar Gul and Saqlain Mushtaq. Gul was whacked for 42 off his five overs, while Smith hit Saqlain for three boundaries in one over to take 24 in the off-spinner’s first two overs.
Herschelle Gibbs, fully recovered from his pulled stomach-muscle injury, didn’t last long in his first game of the series. He hit express bowler Akhtar for a boundary before the paceman found an outside edge off the next delivery.
However, Smith and Kallis added 100 runs off 111 balls. Razzaq gave Pakistan a breakthrough when Smith — after hitting 51 off 55 balls with eight fours — got an edge. Kallis was struck on his back off a vicious Akhtar full toss but failed to bring his bat down in time, knocking the middle stump out of the ground. Kallis made 62 off 80 balls and hit eight fours and a six.
Jacques Rudolph (46) and Mark Boucher (24) added 49 runs for the fifth wicket before both fell at the same total of 206 as the light started to fade. Rudolph holed out in the deep to diving Razzaq while Boucher’s off-stumps was knocked by Akhtar.
However, soon after Pakistan’s three-and-a-half hours of bowling time had passed, the umpires offered the light to Pollock and Hall, who walked back to the dressing room with their team 13 runs ahead on the Duckworth-Lewis formula.
Earlier, Makhaya Ntini took three wickets for 45 after Pakistan stand-in captain Yousuf Youhana won the toss and elected to bat first. Only opener Yasir Hameed and Abdul Razzaq played significant knocks of 72 and unbeaten 46 off 38 balls respectively as the rest of the batsmen struggled for runs.
South Africa struck regularly once Andrew Hall got the breakthrough in the 16th over. Hameed and Mohammad Hafeez (20) put on 52 runs for the first wicket before Dippenaar took a brilliant catch of Hafeez while running backward from cover.
Ntini claimed the prized wicket of in-form Youhana, who scored half centuries in the first two games. The right-handed batsman hit three boundaries in his brief knock of 18 before edging to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher. Ntini also removed dangerman Shoaib Malik (28) and clean-bowled Shoaib Akhtar to end as the best South African bowler.
Hameed, who raised his half century off 89 balls, started to flourish before giving Gibbs an easy catch in the 30th over and giving Peterson one of his two wickets. Hameed’s knock included eight fours and came off 105 balls. Peterson bowled seven overs and took two wickets for 26.
Youhana led the side because Inzamam-ul-Haq was ruled out after suffering a hamstring injury during the second one-day international in Lahore on Sunday. He was replaced by Faisal Iqbal — the nephew of Pakistan coach Javed Miandad. Paceman Mohammad Sami had a side strain, so off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq got his first chance in the series.
South Africa also made two changes from the side, which was defeated by eight and 42 runs respectively in the first two games.
Gibbs replaced Neil McKenzie. Paceman Andre Nel came into the squad in place of medium fast bowler Alan Dawson. However, Nel was expensive and conceded 58 runs off his 10 overs for the wicket of Iqbal (22).
The last two back-to-back, day-night, one-day internationals will be played at Rawalpindi on October 10 and 12. — Sapa-AP