South Africa beat Pakistan by seven wickets in the fifth one-day international at Newlands on Wednesday to clinch the series 3-2.
With 60 balls to spare, the Proteas reached the 241-run target set by Pakistan with relative ease, thanks in part to top scorer Quinton de Kock’s 83-run knock.
South Africa captain Faf du Plessis and Rassie van der Dussen also contributed 50 runs each (not out) to their win, achieved in 40 overs.
In pursuit of the 241-run target, South Africa had started off strong with 145 runs for the loss of two wickets at the end of 20 overs.
RR Hendricks was bowled out for 34 while Hashim Amla was bowled out for 14.
Earlier, the Proteas won the toss and decided to bowl first in the decisive match with both teams having won twice in the first four games.
Fakhar Zaman was the top scorer for the visitors with a 70-run knock laced with 10 boundaries. However, the competitive target set by Pakistan also owed a great deal to Imad Wasim’s late hitting down the order.
The all-rounder’s 31-ball 47 that featured four boundaries and a pair of maximums helped Pakistan recover significantly from the middle-order batsmen’s lacklustre display.
South Africa made two changes from the side beaten by eight wickets in Johannesburg on Sunday, bringing in all-rounders Wiaan Mulder and Dwaine Pretorius for batsman David Miller and fast bowler Beuran Hendricks.
Mulder was a late addition to the squad after missing most of the season because of injury.
“We want to look at our all-rounders and see how they respond in this sort of situation,” said South African captain Faf du Plessis.
Pakistan were unchanged.
Stand-in captain Shoaib Malik said he was happy to bat first in what is effectively a final.
“It is a big game and if you put a score on the board it puts your opponents under pressure,” he said.
Teams
South Africa: Faf du Plessis (captain), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Wiaan Mulder, Dwaine Pretorius, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir.
Pakistan: Shoaib Malik (captain), Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Rizwan (wkt), Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Usman Shinwari, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Umpires: Gregory Brathwaite (WIN), Adrian Holdstock (RSA), TV umpire: Paul Reiffel (AUS) Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)
