Pakistan beat South Africa by 28 runs in the final ODI at Centurion Park on Wednesday to win the three-match series 2-1.
Entering the deciding match of the series level on 1-1, SA took the field with no fewer than seven changes to the team that won the second match by 17 runs last Sunday.
With Rassie van der Dussen adding to the list of unavailable players because of injury, the Proteas added Janneman Malan, Jon-Jon Smuts, Kyle Verreynne, Keshav Maharaj, Daryn Dupavillon, Beuran Hendricks and Lutho Sipamla to their team.
And with pace spearheads Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada on Indian Premier League duty, SA’s bowlers struggled after captain Temba Bavuma decided to put the visitors in to bat first.
At 206/1 with a little under 15 overs left, spinner Keshav Maharaj pulled back the visitors a bit when he had Fakhar Zaman caught behind for 101.
Maharaj (3/45) and wicketkeeper Klaasen combined again to stump Mohammad Rizwan for two and make it 214/3.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam (94) was then stopped short of his 100 by allrounder Andile Phehlukwayo (1/37), as Maharaj and Aiden Markram (2/48) helped limit Pakistan to 320/7.
Getting the required 321 runs for the win was always going to be challenging for the hosts.
Opener Malan (70) gave them a solid start, without much help from the rest of the top order as Mohammad Nawaz (3/34) took three wickets up front to have the hosts reeling at 140/5 in the 28th over.
Malan’s fellow Cobra Verreynne (62) and Phehlukhwayo (54) then combined expertly to share a 108-run sixth wicket partnership to give SA some hope near the end.
But when Verreynne was caught on the boundary with six overs left, it was tickets for the hosts as they ultimately finished on 292 all out.