Pakistan kept their slim T20 World Cup hopes alive with a 33-run win over South Africa in a dramatic rain-affected match at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday
Pakistan kept their slim T20 World Cup hopes alive with a 33- run palm over South Africa in a dramatic rain- affected match at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday. South Africa, who are still on course for thesemi-finals, came out blazing after a rain detention saw their original target of 186 acclimated down to 142, meaning they demanded 73 runs in five overs. But the asking rate was too important and they finished on 108- 9 at the end of a witching match that had a bit of everything, from bad rainfall to good bowling and dropped catches.
Pakistan and South Africa will face off in a T20 World Cup Super 12 Group 2 game at the Sydney Cricket Ground( SCG) on Thursday.
Both brigades are nearly neck- and- neck in T20Is, with Pakistan having won 11, just one further than South Africa’s 10. still, Babar Azam’s men will go in with the confidence of no way having lost to South Africa at the T20 World Cup. Pakistan has won all three T20 World Cup encounters against South Africa so far, though the last time they played each other in the event was back in 2012.
Their palm means Pakistan can still reach the World Cup semi-finals if they win their last match against Bangladesh and other results go their way.
But they must calculate on both India and South Africa losing their final games.
Before, Iftikhar Ahmed and Shadab Khan saved Pakistan with the club with a superb 82- run cooperation.
Iftikhar, who came to the crinkle with Pakistan in big trouble at 43- 4, scored 51 off 35 balls and Shadab blazed 52 from 22 as Pakistan finished their innings at 185- 9.
Pakistan had looked headed for a certain early exit from the event as the South African confluence attack tore through the top order.
But Iftikhar stayed firm, participating a 52- run cooperation with Mohammad Nawaz before he and Shadab took the important- vaunted South African attack piecemeal, taking the score from 95- 5 to 177- 6.
After finishing explosively with the club, the Pakistanis began well with the ball, Quinton de Kock dicing Shaheen Afridi to Mohammad Haris at midwicket for a duck on the last ball of the first over.
Afridi also removed the dangerous Rilee Rossouw for seven in his alternate over, caught by Naseem Shah on the third man boundary, leaving South Africa 16- 2.
South African captain Temba Bavuma has been floundering for form this event but he looked in great touch as he cruised to 36. He and Aiden Markram took the score to 65.
But Shadab changed the game in his first over, the leg- incentive having Temba Bavuma caught behind also brushing Markram through the gate one run latterly, leaving South Africa 66- 4.
The rain, which had been falling smoothly on and off for important of the match, also began to come down more heavily, forcing the players from the field with nine overs down.
When they returned South Africa demanded 73 runs in five overs, a target that proved too great. Know More News…
Pakistan Predicted XI: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Wasim, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah.
South Africa Predicted XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Rilee Rossouw, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Wayne Parnell, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi.
