Spent South Africa pack up in Pakistan
Some collapses aren't easy to quantify. South Africa's crash in the third ODI against Pakistan in Faisalabad on Saturday, for example. Did they lose five wickets for 16 runs? Or 8/37? Or 10/71?
All of the above. Bowled out for 143 in 37.5 overs, they ended their tour with the whimper of a fifth loss - by seven wickets with a record 149 balls remaining - in eight matches across the formats.
The South Africans drew the Test series and lost the white-ball rubbers despite taking both to deciding games. Saturday's result sealed their first loss in all five ODI series they have played against these opponents in Pakistan or on neutral grounds.
There will be disappointment at the result, but not with the fact that the tour is over. Several of the South Africans have voiced their appreciation for the warmth with which they were received by their hosts. That doesn't take the edge off the truth that they have spent the past 32 days holed up in hotels when they have not been travelling, training or playing. For people used to walking the streets of their own country freely without being mobbed or becoming security threats, that wouldn't have been easy.
"You have to sleep a bit longer to make your days a bit shorter," Tony de Zorzi said in a video broadcast between innings on Saturday. During a press conference on Friday, he said: "In the sub, especially in places like Pakistan and Bangladesh, you get into a routine because you can't leave the hotel. It's a grind on and off the field."
That wasn't a complaint. De Zorzi was explaining what had helped him score 104 and 55 in the Tests and 76 in the second ODI.
"It's about staying in that work mindset and focusing only on the cricket. There's nothing else to focus on. There's nothing else to do. But you make peace with that. And anyone would be happy to do the grind. You have to remind yourself that you're lucky to be here."
What did the South Africans do all day?
"The guys stay connected, and try not to isolate themselves in their rooms. Our rooms can sometimes feel like a dungeon. So you try to get out to break up the day, and to get into routines.
"There've been some card games; poker. There are a couple of pranksters in the team who keep themselves and that little group entertained. And then there are obviously more intellectual guys, like myself, who read."
That came with a smile, in itself a sign that senses of humour remain intact.
"Because you're in the hotel, actually, you end up probably connecting more than on other tours because there's nowhere to go."
De Zorzi had praise not only for his teammates: "Our support staff are unsung heroes. They provide a level of consistency as human beings that you can rely on no matter what. So there are touch points that allow you to stay connected. The support staff are the glue that keeps us together on these types of tours."
On October 27 - two days after the Test series and on the 19th day of the tour - Shukri Conrad told a press conference: "It's a long tour, it's a tough tour, and not only because of the conditions. I don't think people quite appreciate what the Test side has done.
"You come here and all you ever see is armoured vehicles to and from the ground, and you stay in a hotel all day. So, next time people rant and rave, they might have to take into account how tough a tour it can be."
Hence one foot might have been on the plane by Saturday, when the match was played on the same Faisalabad surface on which Pakistan won the first ODI by two wickets on Tuesday. Whether the third ODI would have unfolded differently had it been played on the strip that facilitated South Africa's eight-wicket victory at the same ground on Thursday is difficult to say.
But there was no doubt Saturday's pitch was a friend to all who bowled on it. Seam movement, turn, inconsistent bounce - all were available. No-one understood how to make the most of those gifts better than Abrar Ahmed, who ripped through the middle order to take a career-best 4/27.
The leg spinner was introduced in the 16th, the over after Lhuan-dre Pretorius' bat turned in his hands as he tried to put Agha Salman into the stands. He was caught at long-off instead to end a stand of 72 off 86 with Quinton de Kock - South Africa's only partnership worth noting.
That South Africa wouldn't post a challenging total was confirmed in the 25th, when De Kock swept Mohammad Nawaz and was trapped in front for 53 off 70.
"It was my first time playing white-ball cricket in Pakistan, and I learnt a few things about my game," De Kock said after - unusually for someone on the losing side - collecting the player-of-the-series award. "It was tough, but it was a good experience."
Despite their inadequate batting display, the visitors came out bristling at the start of Pakistan's reply. Rather, Nandre Burger did. He used the second delivery of the innings to produce an unplayable inswinger that nailed the top of Fakhar Zaman's off-stump. For good measure Burger sent Fakhar on his way with an aggressive sweep of his arm towards the dressing room that will no doubt attract the interest of the ICC's passion police.
Burger beat Babar Azam outside his off-stump with three consecutive deliveries in the fifth, but it would need more than that to keep the pressure on the Pakistanis. Saim Ayub and Babar righted the home side with a stand of 65 off 60 before Saim and Mohammad Rizwan put on 65 off 80. Saim's steady 77 off 70 was almost all the home side needed to stay on track for the win.
Before the series, Pakistan hadn't played at the Iqbal since April 2008 - more than 17 years ago. The South Africans will leave knowing they gave this generous, joyous crowd something to cheer about.
