Pakistan stay alive!
Pakistan have kept their semi-final hopes alive with victory in a rain-reduced, much-win match over their favourite opponents: South Africa. They’ve met four times at T20 World Cups and Pakistan have won all four encounters. Pakistan have also emerged victorious from six of their last nine World Cup meetings against South Africa - including two fifty-over World Cup wins.
On a chilly Sydney evening, against the express pace of Anrich Nortje and the craftiness of Lungi Ngidi’s slower ball, Pakistan recovered from 95 for 5 to post their fifth-highest score against South Africa, and highest at World Cups. While their top-order failed to fire once again, Iftikhar Ahmed and then Shadab Khan scored half-centuries apiece to get Pakistan to a competitive score. They were helped by a sloppy South African fielding performance. They dropped five catches - more than they have in the other three matches in the tournament combined - and there were several fumbles on a slippery outfield.
Pakistan were set up with the bat, but won the match with the ball. Shaheen Shah Afridi dismissed Quinton de Kock and Rilee Rossouw cheaply but Temba Bavuma had his best innings of 2022 and the chase was going well until the start of the eighth over. South Africa were 65 for 2, ahead of the DLS par of 58 at the time, when Shadab Khan found Bavuma’s edge. At the fall of the wicket, the DLS par went up to 66 and it had increased to 77 two balls later, when Aiden Markam was dismissed. By the time play was interrupted after nine overs, South Africa needed to be on 85 to win, but were 69 for four.
An hour’s interruption cut six overs off the chase and when play resumed South Africa needed 75 runs off the remaining five overs. Tristan Stubbs and Heinrich Klaasen biffed it around a bit but the ask was always going to be too tall. South Africa remain second on the points’ table and need to beat Netherlands on Sunday to keep their fate in their own hands.
We'll catch up then! Enjoy tomorrow and Saturday's Group 1 finales.