South Africa overcame Pakistan by one wicket in a thrilling World Cup match, moving them one step closer to the tournament’s semi-finals. Aiden Markram’s 91 runs lead South Africa to a victory over Pakistan when they are at 206-4.
However, the real drama in last minutes, Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi had to score 11 runs on last wicket. Shamsi even survived a leg-before appeal. Maharaj’s boundary to off spinner Mohammad Nawaz led the victory in 47.2 overs. The triumph sparked wild celebrations in the South African team’s locker room.
South Africa overcome Pakistan by the barest of margins to take an absolute #CWC23 cliffhanger in Chennai 🔥#PAKvSA 📝: https://t.co/gVCbKjerMZ pic.twitter.com/MCf3QQIjLA
— ICC Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) October 27, 2023
With this victory, South Africa moved to the top of the World Cup table with 10 points with 5 wins.
Pakistan, on the other hand, lost their fourth successive loss after two early victories in the competition. Pakistan now has four points and will need positive outcomes to keep their prospects of reaching the semi-finals alive.
This dramatic one-wicket victory marked only the second time South Africa won with narrow margin in World Cup history.
Firstly, Pakistan won the toss and selected to bat first. Pakistan all out at 270 in 46.4.
Saud Shakeel (52), skipper Babar Azam (50), and Shadab Khan (43) all made significant contributions.
Jansen’s early wickets of Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq in the first seven overs pushed Pakistan behind. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan steadied the ship with a 48-run third-wicket stand, but South Africa’s bowlers continued to impress.
Following Babar Azam’s dismissal at 141, Shakeel and Shadab’s partnership of 84 runs for the sixth wicket off 71 balls offered a critical lift. Pakistan posted a competitive score because to Shadab’s aggressive batting with two sixes and three boundaries, as well as Shakeel’s second fifty of the tournament.
Shamsi and Marco Jansen had disturbed Pakistan’s innings. Shamsi, the leg-spinner, took 4-60, while Jansen, the pace bowler, took 3-43.
Aiden Markram, the star of South Africa’s chase, shone with a superb performance that included a 70-run stand for the fifth wicket with David Miller. Markram’s 91 runs off 93 balls included three sixes and seven boundaries, giving him his fourth fifty of the World Cup and taking him above 2,000 ODI runs in his 61st encounter.
Finally, a fantastic match played out at the Chidambaram Stadium, reflecting the essence of World Cup cricket.
