Pakistan's emerging spinner Sufiyan Muqeem made a remarkable impact in the third and final ODI against South Africa in Johannesburg on Sunday.
Making his ODI debut on Sunday, the left-arm spinner recorded impressive figures of 4/52, placing him among the top spinners with the best bowling figures on debut for Pakistan.
Sufiyan became the fourth Pakistan spinner to achieve such a feat, joining an elite list:
- Abdul Qadir: 4/21 vs New Zealand, 1983
- Abrar Ahmed: 4/33 vs Zimbabwe, 2024
- Sufiyan Muqeem: 4/52 vs South Africa, 2024
- Faisal Akram: 3/24 vs Zimbabwe, 2024
Additionally, two Pakistan pacers also hold this honour:
- Zakir Khan: 4/19 vs New Zealand, 1984
- Sarfaraz Nawaz: 4/46 vs New Zealand, 1973
In the third and final ODI, Pakistan posted a formidable 308/9, thanks to a scintillating century from Saim Ayub, who scored 101 off 94 balls.
Contributions from skipper Babar Azam (52), Mohammad Rizwan (53) and Agha Salman (48) further bolstered the total.
South Africa’s chase was led by Heinrich Klaasen's explosive 81 off 43 balls and Corbin Bosch's fighting 40.
However, Pakistan’s bowling unit proved too strong, dismissing the hosts for 271 in 42 overs.
Sufiyan Muqeem spearheaded the attack, claiming four key wickets.
Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah bagged two wickets each, while Mohammad Hasnain and Saim Ayub chipped in with one apiece.
With this 36-run victory, Pakistan made history by becoming the first team to whitewash South Africa in a bilateral ODI series at home.
It also marked another milestone for skipper Mohammad Rizwan, who secured his third consecutive ODI series win.
His captaincy reign began with a landmark 2-1 series win against Australia earlier this year—their first on Australian soil since 2002—followed by a 2-1 victory against Zimbabwe earlier this month.