The 2023 ODI World Cup witnessed a thriller for the ages on Friday in Chennai, where South Africa overcame Pakistan by just one wicket, and go atop the points table.
World Cup 2023: News | Schedule | Results | Points table
After being asked to bowl first, Tabrais Shamsi picked four wickets as South Africa restricted Pakistan to 270 in 46.4 overs.
In reply, South Africa almost lost the plot in what should have been a straightforward chase, but a crucial few decisions on the field and some moments of brilliance led to the Proteas’ nervy win.
Let’s now take a look at some top moments from the game:
Babar Azam saves Pakistan after a shaky start
Having opted to bat first, it wasn’t the best of starts for Pakistan after they lost Abdullah Shafique (9) and Imam Ul Haq (12) within the first seven overs. However, in came captain Babar Azam, who would help Pakistan stabilise the innings with a couple of vital partnerships.
Babar, who got to his half-century in 64 balls, scoring four fours and a six, would go onto forge a 48-run stand with Mohammad Rizwan for the third wicket, and a 43-run partnership with Iftikhar Ahmed for the fourth wicket.
This would take the Men in Green to 141/5 from 38/2, as Babar Azam was dismissed in the 28th over.
While it did seem at one stage that Pakistan would collapse like nine pins, that was not the case.
Shakeel-Shadab stand
Following the wicket of Babar, it was upto two middle order batters in Saud Shakeel and Shadab Khan to revive the innings.
The duo put up 84 runs off 71 balls for the sixth wicket. Both Shakeel and Shadab would then take on Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj with full power, punishing the spinners with boundaries. Despite a slow start, Shadab would hit Maharaj for a four and a six in the 33rd over, before launching a maximum over the bowlers’ head in the 34th, off Shamsi’s ball.
While Shadab would eventually be caught by Maharaj at short midwicket off Gerald Coetzee’s ball in the 40th over, Saud Shakeel would go onto notch up his fifty in as many balls, before being dismissed by Shamsi in the 43rd over.
Pakistan were 240/7 when Saud Shakeel was dismissed.
Tabraiz Shamsi pick of the bowlers
Only a day before, on Thursday, did Tabraiz Shamsi tell during a conversation on the First Sports show that Babar Azam was one of the batters he wanted to get rid of in the World Cup.
And as it turns out, the 33-year-old rode his luck, and got rid of the Pakistan skipper in the 28th over. That was just one of four wickets for Shamsi, as he finished with figures of 4/60.
This was just the second match in the 2023 World Cup for Shamsi, having picked up two wickets against Australia earlier in the tournament.
On Friday, apart from Babar, Shamsi got the wickets of Iftikhar Ahmed, Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
The ‘Umpire’s Call’ dilemma
The Pakistan-South Africa clash was no less of drama. In the 46th over, Haris Rauf and rest of the Pakistan team thought the possible wicket of Tabraiz Shamsi could change the script of the game when they reviewed for an LBW.
At this time, South Africa were 263/9 from 46 overs, needing another eight runs off four overs to win.
The decision was given Not Out by the on-field umpire, and Pakistan opted for the DRS. Ball tracking showed that the ball pitch at a length, Shamsi got struck on his pads, and there was clearly a gap between bat and pad.
It was a delivery that pitched outside off, and ball-tracking deemed the impact to be in line, however, what did not go down with Pakistan was the fact that despite the ball seemingly kissing the leg stump, the decision would remain umpire’s call and the not out verdict would remain.
Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh was one of the people to criticise the DRS technology, claiming that “bad umpiring” and “bad rules” cost the Men in Green the game.
Bad umpiring and bad rules cost Pakistan this game.. @ICC should change this rule .. if the ball is hitting the stump that’s out whether umpire gave out or not out doesn’t matter.. otherwise what is the use of technology??? @TheRealPCB vs #SouthAfrica #worldcup,” Harbhajan wrote on X (Formerly Twitter).
Aiden Markram steps up again
The orchestrator of South Africa’s chase on Friday was clearly Aiden Markram. The Proteas had just lost Temba Bavuma in the 10th over, and in came Markram.
Markram would go onto build half-century stands with Rassie van der Dussen and David Miller, before being dismissed for 91 in the 41st over.
Markra, who scored a fifty off as many deliveries, would go onto hit Mohammad Wasim for a couple of fours in the 12th over, before punishing Haris Rauf with an upper-cut over deep third man for a six in the next over.
Markram continued collecting boundaries at regular intervals, but his dismissal in the 41st over meant the South Africa dressing room was tense.
David Miller (29) and Marco Jansen (20) too would contribute runs but their quick dismissals meant the task was cut out for the Proteas.
It all came down to South Africa needing five runs off 18 balls, with just one wicket remaining. Shamsi was on strike at the start of the 48th over, and soon after he collected a single, Keshav Maharaj, the other batter, slammed behind square region for a boundary off Mohammad Nawaz’s ball, thereby scripting South Africa a hard-earned win.
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