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UPDATE - 12.53 pm GMT - It is still raining steadily, and the square remains covered. Even as the rain continues, the Super Sopper is in action, ensuring that once it stops, we get a quick turnaround. Stay tuned for more news.
UPDATE - 12.30 pm GMT - Oh dear. A drizzle began and now it has intensified. Pretty heavy to make the umpires take the players off. The umbrellas are opening in the stands as well. It does not look that heavy as of now, but a big band of dark clouds is approaching the venue. Hopefully, this is just a passing shower. One good thing is that there is a good breeze blowing across. So the clouds might just get blown away.
Marco Jansen to Babar Azam, On a good length, around off, moves away late, Babar Azam is squared up but manages to push it away.
Just trying to dissect Abdullah Shafique in this series. It has been a forgetful one for him but credit to South Africa for working him out. They have kept the line consistently around that off stump and got the ball to move away late. For a batter who has an exemplary technique, Shafique has been very tentative against the new balls, perhaps thinking in his mind to watch out the passage. That tentativeness means that he has not been sure where his feet should be. He has neither been forward nor back and kept on missing the balls.
Score after
3
overs
10 - 1
- Saim Ayub 6 (10)
- Babar Azam 4 (7)
Kagiso Rabada to Saim Ayub, A loose shot but Saim gets away with it! Rabada hurls a full delivery, outside off, Saim Ayub is lured into the drive as he leans into the shot. Gets beaten on the outside edge.
Kagiso Rabada to Saim Ayub, Brings the line closer to the off stump and gets the ball to jag back in a bit, on a good length, Saim Ayub knows where his off stump is as he shoulders arms.
Kagiso Rabada to Saim Ayub, Angling away from the left-hander, on a length, a bit wider this time, Saim Ayub makes an easy leave.
Kagiso Rabada to Saim Ayub, The length is held back now, outside off, Ayub is in two minds whether to play at it or not. He commits into the shot half-heartedly but at the last moment, tries to stop his bat. Is late and the ball just whizzes past the outside edge.
Kagiso Rabada to Saim Ayub, FOUR! SUBLIME! We have seen that a few times during the course of this series. Rabada floats the ball outside off, inviting the drive and Saim Ayub obliges. Gets forward, reaches out and drives it between cover and point.
Kagiso Rabada to Saim Ayub, On a good length, around middle and leg, Saim Ayub tucks it towards short mid-wicket.
Score after
2
overs
6 - 1
- Babar Azam 4 (7)
- Saim Ayub 2 (4)
Marco Jansen to Babar Azam, Goes fuller on this occasion, outside off, a tempter for the batter to go for the drive. Babar resists and offers no shot.
Marco Jansen to Babar Azam, Another one that is pushed across the right-hander by Jansen, Babar Azam is happy to let it go.
Marco Jansen to Babar Azam, Stays over the wicket for the right-hander and gets the ball to go across, on a length, Babar Azam lets it be.
Marco Jansen to Saim Ayub, Outside off, Saim looks to punch it through the covers but the late movement means that the bat turns a bit. The ball still runs off the face of the bat behind point where the fielder does well. A single taken.
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Marco Jansen to Saim Ayub, Similar line and length, perhaps a tad closer to the off stump. Ayub holds his bat inside the line.
Marco Jansen to Saim Ayub, There is that shape. Jansen slants this one from over the wicket, into the left hander and then gets it to move away. Saim Ayub lets it pass.
Marco Jansen will bowl from the other end. He has got the ball to shape a little bit throughout the series.
- Babar Azam 4 (4)
- Saim Ayub 1 (1)
Kagiso Rabada to Babar Azam, Babar Azam gets off the mark in some style! A third slip gets added but Rabada drags the length back and offers width on off, Babar stands tall and gets on top of the bounce. Rolls his wrists to cut this all along the ground. Gets it through covers for a boundary.
Kagiso Rabada to Babar Azam, In that probing line again, just outside off and the length stays full, Babar Azam presses forward and shoulders arms.
Kagiso Rabada to Babar Azam, A hint of away shape, on the fuller side, in the channel on off, Babar Azam makes a watchful leave.
Kagiso Rabada to Babar Azam, Fractionally short outside off, but not that wide. Babar Azam looks to hammer this through the off side, sans any feet movement and misses.
Babar Azam walks in next at number 3, replacing Abdullah Shafique.
Kagiso Rabada to Abdullah Shafique, OUT! EDGED AND GONE! Is that a replay of the second ODI? No, the screen says LIVE. We are in the present! It is a wicket! Dear me, what does Shafique need to do to get back amongst the runs? His horror show continues. Rabada does not waste much time in finding his mark. Lands it on a good length, just around off. Abdullah Shafique is forced to play at that due to the angle and to his credit, he does not go full-hearted. He plays with soft hands, inside the line of the ball, but the ball comes in with the angle, then straightens and then takes the outside edge, just as Shafique looks to withdraw his bat. Too late. The edge is found on the outside and the ball flies towards the slips, where Aiden Markram gets low to his left from second slip to take it in front of first slip. A golden duck for Abdullah Shafique and Pakistan are 1/1 after 0.2 overs!
Kagiso Rabada to Saim Ayub, On a good length, around middle, Saim Ayub works it through square leg for a single.
All set for the game to begin. What a change a day makes. Till last night, the forecast was bright and sunny for the 'Pink' ODI. Now, it's murky and overcast. If the latest forecast is to be believed, then there will no more rain till 8 pm GMT. If that is the case, we should get all the 100 overs in. But looking at the heavens, it seems very hard to believe that we will not have interruptions. Still, let's keep our fingers crossed and hope we won't need DLS tonight. The Pakistan openers make their way out to the middle - Saim Ayub and Abdullah Shafique. The 'Pink' team is already out in its positions. It will be Kagiso Rabada to kick things off, against Ayub. Here we go!
Pakistan, on the other hand, have displayed remarkable cohesion under Mohammad Rizwan’s leadership. Following their triumph in Australia and now this series, the team’s morale has received a significant boost, and they’ll be keen to build on this momentum.
South Africa will be eager to secure a consolation victory in the final ODI to restore their confidence. Despite fielding an inexperienced bowling attack, underestimating any South African side on home soil would be unwise.
With rain threatening to disrupt the third ODI, weather conditions might heavily influence the skippers' decisions at the toss.
South Africa Squad: Temba Bavuma(c), Tony de Zorzi, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen(w), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Andile Phehlukwayo, Bjorn Fortuin, Kwena Maphaka, Tabraiz Shamsi, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs
Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan(w/c), Salman Agha, Kamran Ghulam, Irfan Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Hasnain, Usman Khan, Tayyab Tahir, Sufiyan Muqeem
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of South Africa vs Pakistan, 3rd ODI
Pakistan (Playing XI) - Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (C/WK), Tayyab Tahir (In for Irfan Khan), Kamran Ghulam, Salman Agha, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain (In for Haris Rauf), Sufiyan Muqeem (In for Abrar Ahmed).
South Africa (Playing XI) - Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma (C), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen (WK), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch (On debut) (In for Andile Phehlukwayo), Bjorn Fortuin, Kagiso Rabada (In for Tabraiz Shamsi), Kwena Maphaka.
English (US)