Pakistanis choke as the South Africans take away the series...!!!!!!

South Africa captain Graeme Smith hailed his side's Test and one-day series victory over Pakistan as an "unbelievable achievement". South Africa won the deciding one-dayer by 14 runs after Pakistan lost their last six wickets for 20 runs. They took the Test series 1-0 and the one-dayers 3-2.

"I don't think any South African team has won two trophies on the subcontinent," Smith said. "Of course we can still improve but two series victories is fantastic." The series result leaves South Africa in second place in the ODI rankings, five points behind Australia.

When asked about Pakistan's sensational collapse, Smith said, "We took huge catches and the ball swung in the end and that helped us to take those last wickets."

Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik was at a loss to explain his side's defeat from a commanding position. "We were unable to maintain that form to the end," Malik said. "It's hard to explain. A win would have been good for the Indian tour." Pakistan kick off their tour of India with a warm-up one-dayer in Delhi on Friday.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) chief executive officer Gerald Majola also lauded the series wins. "To Graeme Smith, the team and management: CSA extends its heartiest congratulations on one of the great victories in SA cricket history," a statement from Majola said.

"To have won in this fashion against all the odds to win both the test and ODI series in Pakistan is an unprecedented achievement," it said. "The commitment and will-to-win from everybody was extraordinary and the nation here salutes you all. You have carried on where the South Africa Rugby team finished off in Paris (winning the World Cup)."

Afridi's stunning run.....Chak de phatte!!!!

His ability to bludgeon the ball out of the ground isn't in question, and neither is his ability to bowl a few overs of tight legspin and winkle out crucial wickets. Shahid Afridi has always been known for his occasional bursts of explosiveness, but in 2007 he has been immense with both bat and ball. The Faisalabad ODI against South Africa saw him at his irresistible best - his 3 for 37 and 18-ball 32 won him the Man-of-the-Match award - and continued the rich vein of form that has helped him score 277 runs at an average of almost 40, and take 16 wickets at 18.31 apiece from nine one-day internationals this year.

Afridi's career summary shows just how special 2007 has been. Compare it with his performances in the previous year and the contrast is even starker: in 2006 the runs dried up completely - 15 innings fetched a total of 115, with a highest of 23 and nine single-digit scores. His batting average was an embarrassing 7.66, while his 14 wickets came at a rate of more than 40.

This year, though, the story has been completely different. Not only has he found a way to score runs and take wickets, he has done so without compromising on either the strike-rate or the economy-rate - he has scored his runs at nearly 185 per 100 balls, and conceded just four per over with the ball.

Afridi's legspin has always been the more consistent part of his game, and the numbers show just how effective a bowling option he has been. In ODIs in which he has bowled six or more overs, he has gone at more than seven an over only eight times, while 18 times he has restricted the batsmen to a run-rate of less than three.