CWC23 Match 26 - South Africa snatch heartstopping win

South Africa continued their dominating run in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 as they snatched a heart-stopping one wicket win over Pakistan.

The match took place at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Friday. Pakistan won the toss and batted first, posted 270 on the board. The Proteas even after losing wickets at regular intervals managed to win the game by the barest of margins.

Pakistan yet again had a torrid opening start as Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique lost their wickets early. Skipper Babar Azam (50:65b,4x4, 1x6) and Mohammad Rizwan (31:27b, 4x4, 1x6) added 48 runs for the fourth wicket to bring the innings back on track.

Match Summary

Pakistan vs South Africa, ICC Cricket World Cup

Pakistan 270/10 (46.4 ov)

South Africa 271/9 (47.2 ov)

Result - South Africa won by 1 wickets

SCORECARD

However, they couldn’t continue as they lost wickets after the start. Saud Shakeel (52:52b, 7x4) and Shadab Khan (43:36b, 3x3, 2x6) then held the fort for the team down the order and made sure that Pakistan ended with a respectable total on the board. The duo added 84 runs for the sixth wicket which powered them to a total of 270. For South Africa, Tabraiz Shamsi picked four wickets whereas Marco Jansen picked three scalps.

South Africa was off to a decent start but both the openers lost their wickets after the start. Quinton de Kock (24:14b, 5x4) and Temba Bavuma (28:27b, 4x4, 1x6) added 34 runs for the opening stand. Rassie van der Dussen (21:39b) and Heinrich Klaasen (12:10b, 1x6) chipped in with handy contributions as well.

But the real blitz came from the bat of Aiden Markram (91:93b, 7x4, 3x5). He along with David Miller (29:33b, 2x4, 2x6) and Marco Jansen (20:14b, 2x4, 1x6) added vital hands and brought Proteas close to the target. However, Pakistan chipped in with crucial wickets and it turned into a nail-bitter with two wickets in the bank and 17 runs on the cards. Keshav Maharaj (7:21b, 1x4) then thrived under pressure and won the game for his team in the end.

Pakistan Fall of wickets: 1-20 (Abdullah Shafique - 4.3 ov), 2-38 (Imam ul Haq - 6.3 ov), 3-86 (Mohammad Rizwan - 15.5 ov), 4-129 (Iftikhar Ahmed - 25.1 ov), 5-141 (Babar Azam - 27.5 ov), 6-225 (Shadab Khan - 39.4 ov), 7-240 (Saud Shakeel - 42.1 ov), 8-259 (Shaheen Afridi - 44.2 ov), 9-268 (Mohammad Nawaz - 45.5 ov), 10-270 (Mohammad Wasim - 46.4 ov)

South Africa Fall of wickets: 1-34 (Quinton de Kock - 3.3 ov), 2-67 (Temba Bavuma - 9.5 ov), 3-121 (Rassie van der Dussen - 18.5 ov), 4-136 (Heinrich Klaasen - 21.4 ov), 5-206 (David Miller - 33.1 ov), 6-235 (Marco Jansen - 36.5 ov), 7-250 (Aiden Markram - 40.2 ov), 8-250 (Gerald Coetzee - 41.1 ov), 9-260 (Lungi Ngidi - 45.3 ov)

Playing XI

PAKISTAN - Abdullah Shafique, Imam ul Haq, Babar Azam(C), Mohammad Rizwan(WK), Saud Shakeel, Shadab Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim, Haris Rauf 

SOUTH AFRICA - Quinton de Kock(WK), Temba Bavuma(C), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lungi Ngidi

Match Details

Date - 2023-10-27 08:30:00

Venue - MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Toss - Pakistan elected to bat

Umpires - Alex Wharf (England), Paul Reiffel (Australia), Richard Illingworth (England TV)

Match Referee - Richie Richardson (West Indies)