Young opening batsman Saim Ayub's meteoric rise in white-ball cricket continued as the left-hander hit his second century of the series, and his third in five innings, as Pakistan completed a 3-0 ODI series clean sweep against South Africa at the Wanderers Stadium on Sunday.
Ayub, 22, scored a superb 101 off 94 balls as Pakistan reached 308-9, which once again proved beyond the reach of the hosts. Heinrich Klaasen thrashed 81 off 43 balls for South Africa but the hosts ended up losing by 36 runs in a rain-affected match.
Pakistan's bowling attack once again kept a dangerous Proteas line-up at bay, with left-arm spinner Sufiyan Muqeem picking up four wickets on his ODI debut as the hosts were dismissed for 271. Pacers Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah picked up two wickets apiece as Pakistan registered another significant series victory.
Pakistan have engineered a stunning turnaround in their fortunes in the latter part of 2024, starting with a dramatic 2-1 Test series win at home against England which was followed by ODI series wins in Australia and now South Africa.
Among the many positives for Pakistan is the dramatic progress of Ayub, who had hit 113 not out in the second ODI against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo last month and 109 in the series opener against South Africa in Paarl last week.
In between his ODI appearances, he made an unbeaten 98 in the second T20 against South Africa in Centurion.
To top it all, Ayub is a proper mystery bowler who regularly bowls his quota of overs.
Ayub was named player of the match and player of the series.
"It's important because we won but it is for all the team, not just me," he said. "The senior players helped me a lot."
On Sunday, Ayub played shots all around the wicket. He starred in partnerships of 114 with Babar Azam (52) and 93 with captain Mohammad Rizwan (53).
Ayub fell to debutant Corbin Bosch after hitting 13 fours and two sixes.
The target of 308 was a challenging one against a potent Pakistan attack that had pace and quality wrist spin.
For the third straight match, Klaasen was the only South African to make a half-century. He kept South Africa ahead of the required run rate until he was sixth man out, caught on the square leg boundary off Shaheen Afridi with the total on 194 in the 29th over.
Ayub followed up his century by taking 1-34 in 10 overs with his mixture of off-spin and carrom balls, claiming the key wicket of David Miller and producing the most economical figures by any bowler in the match.
Pakistan thus recorded their fifth successive bilateral ODI series win, which has put them in good stead ahead of the Champions Trophy which they will host in February.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced that India will play their Champions Trophy matches in the UAE after the hosts selected the Emirates as a neutral venue.
Due to strained political relations, India have not visited Pakistan since 2008 and the Indian cricket board decided not to send its team to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy citing government advice.
The two countries play each other only at multi-team tournaments, with Pakistan visiting India for the 50-overs World Cup last year.
"The Pakistan Cricket Board has chosen the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the neutral venue," PCB spokesperson Amir Mir said.
The eight-team Champions Trophy will be held in February and March next year.
The International Cricket Council said last week that matches between India and Pakistan in tournaments that it organised in either nation would be played at neutral venues.
The arrangement applies to the men's Champions Trophy in Pakistan and the women's ODI World Cup in India next year.
It will also be in place for the men's T20 World Cup in 2026, which India will co-host with Sri Lanka, and the women's T20 World Cup in 2028 in Pakistan.
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
Winners
Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)
Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)
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- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
if you go
The flights
Air France offer flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi to Cayenne, connecting in Paris from Dh7,300.
The tour
Cox & Kings (coxandkings.com) has a 14-night Hidden Guianas tour of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. It includes accommodation, domestic flights, transfers, a local tour manager and guided sightseeing. Contact for price.
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UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
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'Midnights'
Section 375
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Specs
Plastic tipping points
Neighbourhood Watch
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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LIVERPOOL SQUAD
Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk, Georginio Wijnaldum, James Milner, Naby Keita, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Joe Gomez, Adrian, Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Adam Lallana, Andy Lonergan, Xherdan Shaqiri, Andy Robertson, Divock Origi, Curtis Jones, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Neco Williams
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FIXTURES
December 28
Stan Wawrinka v Pablo Carreno Busta, 5pm
Milos Raonic v Dominic Thiem, no earlier then 7pm
December 29 - semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Stan Wawrinka / Pablo Carreno Busta, 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Milos Raonic / Dominic Thiem, no earlier then 7pm
December 30
3rd/4th place play-off, 5pm
Final, 7pm
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Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
