Pakistan

Pakistan, after winning the toss and batting first, posted a score of 269-9 off their 50 overs thanks to a top score of 86 off 78 balls from all-rounder Shadab Khan. His knock included four fours and three sixes.

Opener Imam-ul-Haq provided support with a 68-ball 62, his seventh consecutive score of at least 50 in ODIs.

West Indies Captain Nicholas Pooran, usually a wicket-keeper, was the star of the show with the ball taking 4-48 off his 10 overs. Returning all-rounder Keemo Paul took 57 off nine overs.

Akeal Hosein then top-scored for the tourists with a brilliant 60 off 37 balls including two fours and six sixes but it wasn’t enough as the Windies ended up being bowled out for 216 in just 37.2 overs.

Keacy Carty (33) and Shai Hope (21) also made meaningful contributions with the bat against 4-62 from Shadab Khan and two wickets apiece from Mohammad Nawaz and Hasan Ali.

Khan was voted man of the match while ul-Haq took home man of the series.

Cameron Green (79) and Alex Carey (67) frustrated Pakistan in the heat on Tuesday before Naseem Shah (4-58) and Shaheen Shah Afridi (4-79) prevented the tourists from going beyond 400 in Lahore.

Pat Cummins dismissed Imam-ul-Haq cheaply, but an unbroken stand of 70 between Shafique (45 not out) and Azhar Ali (30no) took Pakistan on to 90-1 at the close - trailing by 301 runs.

Carey and Green took Australia from 232-5 at the start of play to 320-5 at lunch, bringing up their half-centuries as the Pakistan attack toiled.

Nauman Ali ended a sixth-wicket stand of 135 by trapping Carey bang in front and Naseem cleaned Green up with an excellent delivery. 

Australia lost five wickets for 50 runs, with Afridi removing Mitchell Starc and making a mess of Mitchell Swepson's stumps after the impressive Naseem bowled Nathan Lyon.

Imam (11) was snared lbw by Cummins off balance in the 12th over of Pakistan's reply to end an opening stand of 20, while Shafique was fortunate to edge between Carey and Steve Smith in the slips.

Azhar clattered Lyon down the ground for six and Shafique ticked along nicely in great batting conditions.

Cummins wasted a review for an lbw shout against Azhar as Pakistan put a frustrating start to the day behind them.

Pakistan's young pace duo fire after Carey and Green stand

Green and Carey gave Australia just the start they were looking for, but Pakistan's young pacemen fired in the afternoon session.

Teenager Naseem and 21-year-old Afridi bowled with a combination of pace and reverse swing as they cleaned up the tail in quick time.

Naseem was not selected for the second Test but he will surely be a mainstay for years to come, while Afridi has already proven he is a class act time and again.

Rock-solid Shafique 

The composed Shafique has been a revelation for Pakistan at the top of the order and the opener laid solid foundations once again.

Having made a 134 and 44 in the opening match of the series in Rawalpindi before falling four short of a century in the first innings in Karachi, Shafique will be eyeing three figures again.

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Harry Brook scored centuries as the tourists piled on the runs on a historic first day in Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

After resuming on a staggering 506-4 in their first Test in Pakistan for almost 17 years, England posted 657 all out from 101 overs on Friday - Brook top scoring with 153 off 116 balls and taking a record 27 off an over.

Imam (90 not out) and Shafique (89no) then cashed in on a flat wicket, taking Pakistan to 181 without loss at the close on another gruelling day for the bowlers - trailing by 476 runs.

Ben Stokes hit the first ball of the day he faced from Naseem Shah (3-140) down the ground for six, but was cleaned up off the final delivery of an eventful opening over of the day.

Liam Livingstone fell cheaply, but Brook continued to show his class, brutally taking Zahid Mahmood (4-235) apart before he was removed by Naseem.

Ollie Robinson (37) and Will Jacks (30) also chipped in, but there was no joy for England with the ball as Imam and Shafique played superbly in control knocks.

Stand-in wicketkeeper Pope appeared to have put down a chance to dismiss Imam for 11 and caught Shafique when he had 54 to his name, but the opener was given a reprieve after a replay showed the ball bounced before lodging in his glove.

A concern for England would be the loss of Livingstone to an ankle injury that kept the all-rounder off the field and prevented him from bowling.

The brilliance of Brook

Making only his second Test appearance, Brook carried on where he left off on day one in a masterful knock as England made their second-highest Test score overseas.

He brutally took debutant Zahid apart to break a record of 24, which he shared with Ian Botham for less than a day after matching that on Thursday, for the most runs scored by an England batter in a Test over.

Brook struck Zahid for two sixes and three fours before scoring three off the final ball of that incredible over. He only faced 115 balls in the fastest 150 by an England player in the longest format and the fourth-quickest in Test history, hitting five sixes and 19 fours.

Shafique and Imam build strong foundations

After such a punishing time in the field, Shafique and Imam were able to enjoy themselves at the crease in a run-fest.

England had the odd half chance, but the openers looked comfortable as they saw off the new ball with apparent ease and were closing in on centuries at the close.

The hosts won the first Test inside three days but were just about taken to a fourth day this time around after Regis Chakabva and Brendan Taylor stood firm for Zimbabwe.

However, Pakistan required just one wicket in Monday's session, and they got it in five overs thanks to Shaheen Afridi, who finished on 5-52 by taking Luke Jongwe (37).

Jongwe and Blessing Muzarabani initially looked comfortable and added 11 runs to Zimbabwe's tally before the former was coaxed into a drive by Shaheen.

The ball edged through to Mohammad Rizwan to send Zimbabwe packing for 231 as Shaheen joined Hasan Ali and Nauman Ali in taking five wickets in the one-sided series.

It marked the first time Pakistan had three bowlers claim five wickets in the same Test. Such a feat has only been achieved six times in Test cricket history and not at all since 1993.

Hasan Ali was named the player of the series for his twin five-wicket hauls in the first and second Tests, which he put down to his hard work paying off.

"It's been a good tour for me," he said. "The pitch wasn't good for bowling, getting slower every day. 

"But the plan was simple: keep bowling stump to stump and let the batsmen make mistakes. Whenever you execute well, it's a pleasurable moment for me. 

"I'm very happy. I had hard work in the previous year. It is paying off and I'm looking forward to continuing this performance for my team."

The fast bowler sustained a right knee ligament injury during the first Test against Sri Lanka last month and, while remaining part of the squad for the tour of the Netherlands, has not featured.

It was stated before the tour of the Netherlands began that Afridi would play no more than one ODI in the series but Pakistan hoped he would be able to feature in the Asia Cup.

Now, a return has been pushed back and Pakistan now hope he will be fit for the October T20 tri-series in New Zealand ahead of the World Cup.

"I have spoken with Afridi and he is understandably upset with the news, but he is brave young man who has vowed to come back strongly to serve his country and team," Dr Najeebullah Soomro, PCB chief medical officer, said in a statement.

"Although he has made progress during his rehabilitation in Rotterdam, it is now clear he will require more time and is likely to return to competitive cricket in October."

The 22-year-old will stay with the squad in the Netherlands to complete his rehabilitation and the PCB will soon announce a replacement for the Asia Cup, in which Pakistan face India in their opener on August 28.

After downpours had wiped out the previous day without any play possible at all, there was at least some action on Sunday in Southampton.

Resuming on 223-9 in their first innings, Pakistan added a further 13 runs to their total before the last wicket fell to the impressive Stuart Broad, giving the seamer final figures of 4-56.

Mohammad Rizwan had hit two boundaries but perished when trying to flick a swinging delivery to leg, a leading edge providing Zak Crawley with a simple catch in the covers.

The wicketkeeper-batsman finished as top scorer for his country with 72 to his name, while last man Naseem Shah was left on one not out.

England's reply suffered an early setback when Shaheen Afridi had Rory Burns caught in the slips without scoring, the left-hander well held by Asad Shafiq having edged the fourth ball of the opening over.

Dom Sibley and Crawley found life tough going against new-ball pairing Shaheen and Mohammad Abbas but managed to survive and will resume on Monday unbeaten on two and five respectively.

The hosts, who sit 1-0 up in the three-match series, had reached 7-1 when the players made their way off the field just over an hour into the morning session, with no further action leaving the game heading for a weather-ruined draw.

Holder made his Test debut against New Zealand last year but has not featured since then. Brooks, meanwhile, also last played against New Zealand and has earned a recall following a polished century in the Best v Best four-day match last week.

“Chemar Holder returns, having recovered from his injury. He will bolster the fast bowling department. Shamarh Brooks batted his way into the provisional squad by scoring an accomplished century. He will certainly add some depth to the squad’s batting,” said Chief Selector Roger Harper in explaining the recall of the two players.

Regarding Gabriel’s omission, Harper said the player is being given time to work on his fitness.

“Shannon Gabriel has been given time to rehab fully and build his conditioning, so he was not part of the preparations for the Test series against Pakistan, which included the Best v Best game. Darren Bravo has been part of the ‘bubble’ from the preparation camp leading into the Betway Test series against South Africa and has been given a break,” Harper said.

“I expect the team to be highly competitive in every department while playing with passion, purpose and determination. I look forward to the batsmen stepping up as they did in the series against Bangladesh and against Sri Lanka earlier this year in Antigua.”

The two-match Betway Test Series will be played at Sabina Park from August 12-16 and August 20-24. The Betway Test Series forms the first of six Series in the new cycle of the International Cricket Council World Test Championship to find the best Test match cricket team in the world.

FULL SQUAD: Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain), Jermaine Blackwood (Vice-Captain), Nkrumah Bonner, Shamarh Brooks, Rahkeem Cornwall, Roston Chase, Joshua Da Silva, Jahmar Hamilton, Chemar Holder, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Kieran Powell, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, and Jomel Warrican.

Star batsman Babar Azam was removed by James Anderson without adding to his overnight 69 as England checked Pakistan's day-one momentum with impressive discipline during the morning session.

But the indefatigable Masood remained and found a willing ally in Shadab Khan (45) before the century-maker became the ninth man to fall, making 156 out of 326 all out.

New ball pair Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Abbas then removed England openers Rory Burns and Dom Sibley cheaply, both lbw, before Abbas cleaned up Ben Stokes for a duck with a sensational delivery.

Captain Joe Root's 58-ball stay yielded 14 runs before he was out caught behind, cutting leg-spinner Yasir Shah, meaning the bulk of England's hopes rested with Ollie Pope (46 not out) as they closed on 92-4 – 234 in arrears.

After an underwhelming Wednesday outing on his home ground, Anderson (1-63) was bang on the money in the first over of the day and tempted Babar into a drive he edged to Root at first slip.

Broad (3-54) accounted for Asad Shafiq in similar fashion, with Stokes the catcher, and the similarly assured Chris Woakes (2-43) had Mohammad Rizwan caught behind by Jos Buttler, who endured an otherwise torrid innings with the gloves.

England had a sniff of Pakistan's vulnerable lower order but Shadab put on 105 for the sixth wicket with Shan, who reached a fourth Test century, and third in as many outings, off 251 deliveries.

Shadab slapped Dom Bess to Root at midwicket with 50 in sight, which was Shan's cue to put his foot down as Jofra Archer (3-59) and Broad split the tail between them – the latter having implored in inimitable fashion for the centurion's scalp.

Shaheen's pace and Abbas' wily precision got Pakistan quickly stuck into the England middle order, with Stokes losing his stumps when driving at a majestic delivery that decked away from him.

Pope found a fluency that eluded his captain, meeting the challenge of considerable speed and skill with a nicely judged counter-attack he must now build substantially upon.

Warne has died at the age of 52, having been found unresponsive in his villa in Thailand on Friday.

The flamboyant bowler registered 708 wickets across a remarkable 15-year Test career, bettered only by fellow spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, before retiring from international cricket in 2007 and pursuing careers in commentary and coaching.

He was a victor in seven Ashes series, in which he picked up 195 dismissals in outings against England, as he inspired the next generation of Australian cricketers.

Cummins expressed shock at the news of Warne's death when he spoke after stumps on day one of Australia's first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi. He also paid tribute to another Australia Test mainstay in Rod Marsh, who died aged 74 on Thursday.

"On behalf of the entire playing group and support staff here in Pakistan, I want to express our shock and sadness over Shane's sudden passing," Cummins said, quoted by Cricket Australia. "We are all numbed by the news.

"Shane was a once-in-a-century cricketer and his achievements will stand for all time, but apart from the wickets he took and the games he helped Australia win, what he did was draw so many people to the sport.

"So many of us in the playing group grew up idolising him and fell in love with this great sport as a result, while many of our support staff either played with him or against him.

"It has been a terrible couple of days for Australian cricket with the passing of Rod Marsh and now Shane.

"Our thoughts are with both families and, in Shane's case, particularly with his parents Keith and Bridgette, his brother Jason and his children Jackson, Summer and Brooke.

"The game of cricket was never the same after Shane emerged, and it will never be the same now he has gone. Rest in peace King."

They wrapped up the 2-0 series sweep, reaching the target of 185 runs on Tuesday, having bowled Pakistan out for 172 on day four, with Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana taking nine wickets between them.

At one point, it looked like victory was out of Bangladesh's reach, at least until Liton Das inspired a stunning comeback on day three with a stand on 138.

It is the first time that Bangladesh have ever recorded a series success over Pakistan, while it was just their third Test series win on foreign soil.

And Shanto was in disbelief when they finally clinched the victory.

"We can't express feelings with words, we are really happy," said Najmul.

"I think before we came here, we're looking to win, and the way everyone did their job made me really happy."

"Our bowlers were very impressive. I hope they will do the same against India as well, which will be a very challenging series."

Meanwhile, Pakistan are now on a run of 10 Tests without a win on home soil and have lost all five of their Tests with Shan Masood as their captain.

With this defeat following a 3-0 series whitewash at the hands of Australia earlier this year, Masood was left frustrated by the continued mistakes his team were making.

"We haven't learnt our lessons," he said.

"We could have bowled them, especially after 26-6 down here, but we let them back in the game.

"I think now it's time where we've realised that we were playing good cricket in Australia and not finishing games. That's something that we really need to work on.

"You always learn from your mistakes, and you try and give people a chance, and in this regard, we are in the right direction."

Fraught relations between the neighbouring countries mean their only showdowns in the last decade have been at multi-team events, with India winning seven out of seven contests at the 50-over World Cup.

They are favourites to extend that record at the 132,000-capacity Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, which will be a sea of blue as thousands of Pakistan fans have been unable to secure Indian visas.

Gill, the leading run-scorer in ODIs this year, may return for the tournament’s marquee fixture, having sat out India’s wins over Australia and Afghanistan after being laid low by a bout of dengue fever.

He batted in the nets on Thursday and India captain Rohit Sharma, a centurion against Afghanistan on Wednesday, said of his fellow opener: “99 per cent he is available. We’ll see.”

If Gill, who possesses an incredible average of 66.1 and 102.84 strike-rate from 35 ODIs, is selected then Ishan Kishan will almost certainly make way as the hosts look to make it three wins from three.

Rohit, though, refused to divulge whether India will restore Ravichandran Ashwin to the line-up and go with a three-prong spin attack also including left-armers Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav.

“I don’t know, honestly,” he said. “We are ready for whatever combination we want to play. If the requirement is there for us to play three spinners, we will play three spinners.”

Rohit also rejected the notion home advantage could count against India, adding: “You feel nice about playing in front of your home crowd. They get behind you no matter what the situation of the game is.

“My overall experience playing, not just in India, even outside India, we get massive support. I look at this as a good advantage, big advantage. But you’ve got to play good cricket to win the game.”

Pakistan captain Babar Azam needed no reminding of the one-sided nature of the rivalry, with India winning by 89 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method in their last fixture in Manchester in 2019.

But Babar insisted Pakistan can take comfort from their 2017 Champions Trophy final win over their adversaries as well as a stunning 10-wicket triumph at the 2021 T20 World Cup in Dubai.

“I don’t focus on the past, I try to focus on the future,” Babar said. “Such records are made to be broken and I try to break them.

“We were not able to execute in the past, but we changed it in 2021 and 2017. We won against India in the World Cup. We hadn’t done that before, but we did it.

“We believe that we can do it and we will go with full confidence.”

Babar is the top-ranked ODI batter in the world but has had a modest start to the tournament with innings of five and 10 in Pakistan’s wins over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka.

“My World Cup till right now has not been as it should have been,” he added. “But hopefully you will see some difference in the next matches.”

The West Indies will face Pakistan in three T20I and three ODIs during the tour that concludes on December 20 and Simmons is expecting members of the team to stand up and be counted.

“We’re looking to see who’s going to put their hand up to be a major player in this team. It’s about them putting up their hands and saying we want to go forward with this team. We want to do the things that are necessary to help this team win,” Simmons said.

Speaking in a press conference Friday after the team’s arrival in Pakistan, Simmons acknowledged that this is the team’s first white-ball assignment since the disastrous World Cup campaign and that it is time to move on from that.

“We know what happened in the World Cup and we’re not going to go back there. We’re looking to move forward and see who now wants to move forward with this team and our different ideas of how we want to play,” he said.

The former Ireland and Afghanistan coach also expressed that while many know what these players are capable of, it is time for them to show it in high-pressure situations.

“Yes, we have an idea of what they can deliver, but they’ve got to go out there and start showing us now that they can deliver under pressure. Playing against Pakistan in Pakistan is as much pressure as you can get,” said Simmons.

Simmons says he’s anticipating how the mental approach within the squad will change.

“We’re looking forward to seeing how things are going to change within this squad, not just from a cricketing point of view but also an attitude point of view,” Simmons said.

The West Indies coach also noted the threat of Pakistan left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi.

“He’s been brilliant for Pakistan and I’m sure he will continue to improve. Our batsmen will work on plans to of how to play him, how to score off him and we’ll see how their plans work out when the games come about,” said Simmons.

Meanwhile, Jason Holder is being rested for this tour due to workload management and Fabian Allen and Obed McCoy are unavailable due to injury and rehabilitation. Evin Lewis, Shimron Hetmyer, Andre Russell and Lendl Simmons are all unavailable due to personal reasons, CWI said.

Greaves, Motie and Smith have been called up for the ODIs along with middle-order batsman Shamarh Brooks.

Smith and Motie are also selected in the T20I squad for the first time, along with left-arm fast-bowling all-rounder Dominic Drakes. Motie was a travelling reserve for the recent ICC T20 World Cup, while Drakes and Smith were net bowlers before the start of the tournament

“There are a number of talented newcomers in each format that will have the opportunity to show what they are capable of at the international level,” said Chief Selector Roger Harper.

“Justin Greaves is a very talented player, had a good CG Insurance Super50 tournament and performed well in the President’s XI match against Ireland in 2020. Odean Smith really grabbed our attention in the last CPL. His pace was never in question, however, he has added greater control and has displayed the ability to be a wicket-taker.”

Brooks gets called after his performances in the last Super 50 Cup.

“Shamarh Brooks batted well in the CG Insurance Super50 Cup and followed that up with good performances in the CPL,” Harper explained.

“He will lend greater depth to the batting line-up. Gudakesh Motie has been rewarded for his outstanding performance in the CG Insurance Super50, followed up by his showing in the CPL. Dominic Drakes has the potential to be an outstanding all-rounder as he displayed during the last CPL.

 “The ODIs in Pakistan are part of the ICC ODI Super League where points gained work towards qualification for the ICC World Cup 2023. So these ODI’s are very important to us and are being treated as such.”

The ODI Series will be West Indies fourth series of 12 in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League in which the top seven teams can secure automatic qualification for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India. West Indies currently lie in eighth position out of 13 teams and have the opportunity to move above Pakistan into seventh position.

The full squads are as follows:

One-Day Internationals: Kieron Pollard (Captain), Shai Hope (Vice-Captain), Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Roston Chase, Justin Greaves, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Anderson Phillip, Nicholas Pooran, Raymon Reifer, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith and Hayden Walsh Jr.

 T20 Internationals: Kieron Pollard (Captain), Nicholas Pooran (Vice-Captain), Darren Bravo, Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell, Dominic Drakes, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Oshane Thomas and Hayden Walsh Jr.

TOUR SCHEDULE
December 13 – 1st T20I, Karachi
December 14 – 2nd T20I, Karachi
December 16 – 3rd T20I, Karachi
December 18 – 1st ODI, Karachi
December 20 – 2nd ODI, Karachi
December 22 – 3rd ODI, Karachi

England made a strong start with an opening partnership of 56 from Zak Crawley (29) and Ben Duckett (52), but wickets began to tumble as they slumped to 118-6.

Sajid Khan (6-128) did most of the damage for the hosts, but Smith settled things down with a solid knock of 89 before the visitors were dismissed for 267.

Shoaib Bashir, Jack Leach and Guy Atkinson then stalled Pakistan's momentum at the crease, as they finished the day 194 runs adrift at 73-3.

Smith hit seven sixes on the way to his first Test half-century outside of England, and was pleased with the way he and his team-mates responded to their setback. 

"It's nice to do it away from home," he said. "You want to be known as someone who can do it in all conditions. It's nice to score runs wherever. 

"We are pretty pleased with the position we are in. We are happy to put runs on the board. It is a decent score, especially from the position we were in.

"When they're on top, they definitely try and let you know that and put you under as much pressure as possible. So, it's nice to revert that onto them and put them under some pressure."

The Canterbury leg-spinner has been included in the 15-player squad for the two-Test series, which begins in Karachi on December 26 before concluding in Multan eight days later.

Sodhi has remained a mainstay in his nation's T20 side, having recently claimed his 100th wicket in that format, and coach Gary Stead highlighted the importance of his return to the red-ball setup.

"Ish has been playing international cricket for almost a decade now, and we're backing his skills and experience," he said.

"Looking at the current conditions and style of play in the Pakistan and England Test series, we feel having a wrist-spinner in the team will be important."

Meanwhile, this will be Tim Southee's first Test as captain with Kane Williamson also included after announcing his decision to step down as skipper in this format.

Uncapped Blair Tickner could make his Test bow, while Glenn Phillips has been named in the squad almost three years on from his sole red-ball appearance against Australia in January 2020.

New Zealand Test squad to face Pakistan: Tim Southee (captain), Michael Bracewell, Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner, Neil Wagner, Kane Williamson, Will Young.

Since the start of the year, the recently appointed West Indies captain has played in 9 matches, spanning three series.  He has averaged a mere 11.22 with a high score of 34.

Heading into Wednesday’s series against Pakistan, Pooran scored a total of 24 runs in three matches against The Netherlands.  Despite the added responsibility of captaincy, however, Pooran is backing himself to turn things around.

“This isn’t the first time I haven’t scored runs.  If you check my stats I’m always scoring runs so I am not bothered,” Pooran told members of the media on Tuesday.

“I think something big is close.  I’m working very hard and it’s only a matter of time,” he added.

In his career so far, Pooran has only faced Pakistan once scoring 34 unbeaten in 2019.

Babar Azam's century propelled Pakistan to a dramatic three-wicket win in the first match on Friday, but they fell short of winning the series at the Imperial Wanderers Stadium after some significant contributions at the top of the order from the hosts. 

Captain Temba Bavuma was in supreme form, hitting a wonderful 92, while Quinton de Kock (80) and David Miller (50 off 27 balls) helped South Africa to 341. 

Zaman's 155-ball 193 was the highest score in a chase in ODI history, although it was not enough to help his side to an improbable victory. 

Aiden Markram set the tone for South Africa's innings with an impressive 39, ultimately falling to a Faheem Ashraf delivery.

De Kock and Bavuma anchored South Africa, putting up a 114-run partnership for the second wicket, the former bowled by Haris Rauf 20 runs shy of his century. 

Rassie van der Dussen plundered 60 off 37 balls to put the hosts in a strong position, before Bavuma was caught by Azam from Rauf's bowling for 92. 

Miller then gave South Africa's total an even healthier look with a half-century.

Pakistan suffered an early blow in the chase when Imam-ul-Haq was dismissed by Lungi Ngidi in the second over, while Anrich Nortje took three quick wickets. 

The visitors' hopes of an unlikely win looked in tatters, but Zaman gave them hope with a record-breaking innings. 

His spellbinding 193 surpassed Herchelle Gibbs' 175 as the highest individual score at the Imperial Wanderers Stadium, and was the second highest ever in a losing ODI cause.

Zaman fell in the penultimate over when he was run out by Markram after De Kock had cheekily encouraged him to think the ball was going to the other end.

Three Twenty20 internationals were proposed but have been scratched because of South Africa's concerns over their players' workload.

The short series is set to be rescheduled and may take place before the end of the year.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said it had received assurances from Cricket South Africa that "they will honour the commitment of sending their side as soon as it is reasonably possible".

South Africa are already due to visit Pakistan for two Tests and three T20 matches in January and February next year.

PCB chief executive Wasim Khan said: "While we were keenly looking forward to hosting South Africa next month, we respect Cricket South Africa's reason for not sending their side next month.

"Managing player workload is a top priority for any cricket board, and from that perspective, their decision is understandable.

"We are pleased that the CSA remains committed to rescheduling this short series as soon as practically possible.

"As there is a strong willingness and commitment, both the boards are now exploring their FTPs [future tour programmes] to find gaps so that we can agree on the dates."

Bavuma has been handed the job through to the 2023 Cricket World Cup, replacing Quinton de Kock after the wicketkeeper-batsman had been leading the Proteas in all three formats on a temporary basis.

Twenty20 cricket may well be of greater importance for international teams right now in terms of planning - there is a World Cup in the shortest format to come later this year on Indian soil, plus another in Australia in 2022 - but the new reign begins with three 50-over fixtures.

Centurion hosts two of the one-dayers, including Friday's opener, with a fixture at the Wanderers in Johannesburg sandwiched in between.

South Africa lost in both the Test and T20 formats on their tour to Pakistan earlier this year, albeit they had an inexperienced squad on duty for the latter. Heinrich Klaasen was placed in charge as many of his compatriots departed to prepare to face Australia at home, only for those games to be cancelled.

The unexpected gap in the schedule has allowed South Africa to make changes with a focus on the long-term future – Dean Elgar is now the Test skipper – and there are some fresh faces in the one-day squad, with all-rounder Wihan Lubbe and fast bowler Lizaad Williams selected.

Aiden Markram and Wiaan Mulder have been recalled, while those players who will be involved in this year's Indian Premier League will be released early from international duty. With so many departing, opportunities will come for some of the less experienced individuals in the squad.

Pakistan sit just behind their hosts in sixth place in the International Cricket Council's team rankings, but go into the series having lost just one of their last nine ODI games, the solitary defeat coming in a Super Over against Zimbabwe in November 2020.

However, South Africa have won eight of their last 10 outings at Supersport Park - venue for the first and third games - and have a 4-2 record there when Pakistan are the visitors.

Both nations will be eager to pick up points in the World Cup Super League, particularly the Proteas as they prepare for ODI duty for the first time in over a year.

The uncapped Saud Shakeel was initially named in Pakistan's squad but has been ruled out with a leg injury, though fellow rookie Danish Aziz is expected to get a chance in the middle order after impressing in domestic action.

Bavuma takes centre stage

Bavuma will be the 16th captain for South Africa in one-day cricket; he has scored 335 runs and averages 55.8 in the format. However, this will be his first ODI appearance against Pakistan and, with players such as De Kock, David Miller, Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje among those bound for the IPL soon, the new skipper will hope to lead from the front.

Babar Lord's it over Proteas

Pakistan captain Babar Azam averages 65.7 in ODI action since the start of 2019, boasting a strike rate of 93.8 while scoring four centuries during that period. The right-handed batsman made 69 as his side won when the nations met during the 2019 Cricket World Cup at Lord's. However, neither made it beyond the round-robin stage of that tournament.

Key series facts

- South Africa and Pakistan have alternated between victory and loss in their last four ODI matches against each other; the last time they met was during the 2019 World Cup, when the Proteas lost by 49 runs.  

- South Africa have won their last three ODI matches (all against Australia); the last time the Proteas won more consecutive matches in the format was between January and March 2019 (six matches).

- Pakistan have a catch success rate of 72 per cent in ODIs since the start of 2019, the lowest share of any Test-playing nation in that time; they have dropped 40 of the 144 chances presented to them.

- South Africa have lost only one of the nine men's multi-game bilateral ODI series played against Pakistan (W8). However, the solitary defeat was at home when Pakistan toured in 2013.

- Fakhar Zaman (currently 47 innings) needs 40 to reach 2,000 runs in ODIs (1,960 runs); if he gets there in this game, he will be the third fastest to reach the milestone for Pakistan (Zaheer Abbas and Babar Azam).

The Black Caps set Pakistan 373 for victory at Bay Oval on Tuesday before reducing the tourists to 71-3 in their chase as Tim Southee took his 300th Test wicket.

After losing openers Shan Masood and Abid Ali for ducks, Pakistan rallied and Azhar Ali (34) and Fawad Alam (21) were unbeaten at stumps, needing another 302 runs for an unlikely victory.

Trent Boult (1-24) removed Abid, who was caught by BJ Watling following a short ball, before Masood went in the following over, edging Southee (2-15) to Ross Taylor at first slip.

Pakistan were yet to score at that stage, and Southee had Haris Sohail (9) caught by Mitchell Santner.

Southee became the third player to take 300 Test wickets for New Zealand, joining Richard Hadlee (431) and Daniel Vettori (361). Only Hadlee (61 matches) reached the feat faster than Southee (76).

But New Zealand were left to get seven wickets on day five after Azhar and Fawad put on an unbroken 34-run stand.

Earlier, the Black Caps found the quick runs they were after thanks mostly to openers Tom Blundell (64) and Tom Latham (53).

Blundell and Latham put on 111 for the opening wicket, New Zealand getting to 180-5 before declaring.

Naseem Shah finished with 3-55 for Pakistan.