Shaheen Shah Afridi Attributes ODI Series Win Over South Africa to Teamwork

Pakistan defeated South Africa comprehensively in the 3rd ODI at Faisalabad. By securing victory in the last game, Pakistan sealed the ODI series by a definitive margin of 2-1. Abrar Ahmed was named Player of the Match, as he bowled superbly in the first innings, giving Pakistan a strong control over South Africa batters.

After the match, Shaheen Shah Afridi praised the performance of the whole team. He said the victory came as a result of collective team effort, something they would like to continue in the upcoming series. He also said that players are working hard across formats, so the team is confident to produce more solid results like these in the future.

"It has been teamwork and we have worked very hard across the formats, so credit goes to the players,” said Shaheen Shah Afridi at the post-match presentation ceremony.

Speaking about the match, he said the bowlers didn’t get much help from the wicket early on, however, the spinners brought them back into the match by taking quick wickets during the middle overs.

“We didn't get so much help in the first five-six overs, but when the spinners came in, they made it tough,” said Shaheen Shah Afridi.

During the ODI series, Pakistan utilized a rotation policy to give rest to the key bowlers. Naseem Shah was rested for the last game, as he was replaced by Haris Rauf in the fast bowling department. Shaheen Shah Afridi defended this policy, saying that the players took their chances whenever they were given an opportunity.

“When you play international cricket, you have to be ready for all situations. So every player who came in took their chances,” said Shaheen Shah Afridi after the match.

In the 3rd ODI at Faisalabad, the spinners of Pakistan dominated the first innings. They took control of the match after the South African batters had already neutralized the pace threat of the home team. Abrar Ahmed was the chief destructor in the first innings, as he bowled superbly during the middle overs to strangle the rampant South African batters.

As a result, the visitors collapsed quickly after scoring just 143 runs in the first innings. Quinton de Kock once again starred for the Proteas by scoring 53 runs on just 70 balls.

When Pakistan came out to bat in the second innings, they looked completely in control. Despite losing Fakhar Zaman early, Pakistan negated the opening attack of the South African bowlers. Saim Ayub remained the star batter for Pakistan, as he played a brilliant knock of 77 runs on just 70 balls. Due to his exceptional batting, Pakistan chased down the target easily inside 25 overs.

After the match, Shaheen applauded the performance of the squad. He added that the team is now gearing up for the Sri Lankan challenge that is coming up after this series.

“As I said, it's teamwork and we played good cricket, but we have another challenge coming up, so now we have to prepare for that." said Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Pakistan will now take on Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series starting from November 11. It would be an exciting contest because Sri Lanka is also coming with some well-known stars who can strongly challenge the green shirts on their home turf.