Pakistan kept their slim hopes of advancing to the next phase of the ICC World Cup with a 49-run triumph over South Africa at Lord's on Sunday, a loss which ended the South Africans’ hopes of advancing further.
A half-century by the recalled Haris Sohail got Pakistan to a challenging 308 for seven before spinner Shadab Khan and medium-pacer Wahab Riaz helped them reduce the South Africans to 259 for nine.
Khan got the vital wicket of Quinton de Kock for 47 to break an 87-run partnership with Faf du Plesis when the South Africans were gaining some momentum. He also added the wickets of Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen to finish with three for 50. Riaz meanwhile ripped out the South African lower order, bowling Chris Morris (16), Kagiso Rabada (3) and Lungi Ngidi (1) to bag three wickets for 46 runs.
Opening Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir also finished with two for 49 to join Australia’s Mitchell Starc and England’s Jofra Archer at the top of the tournament wicket-takers’ list with 15 scalps.
Du Plesis was South Africa’s top scorer with 63 from 79 balls while Andile Phehlukwayo was not out on 46 at the end.
The win pushed Pakistan to five points and seventh on the 10-team table. But they will still need a combination of things to occur if they are to push table-toppers New Zealand (11 points), Australia (10 pts), India (9 pts) and England (8 pts) out of the semi-finals. Pakistan can start that charge when they next face unbeaten New Zealand on Wednesday. Bangladesh also have five points and face a similar challenge as Pakistan to move on. South Africa, however, fell to a fifth loss in seven matches with one washout and only winless Afghanistan are worse off than them.
Earlier, Sohail’s late charge helped Pakistan reach the 300 mark. Brought back into the side for Shoaib Malik, Sohail rewarded his skipper’s confidence in him with a knock of 89 and shared in two vital partnerships of 81 with Babar Azam (69) and 71 with Imad Wasim to lift the Pakistanis to a defendable total. His innings included three sixes and nine fours.
Openers Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq had also shared in a fruitful 81-run stand in 15 overs before they each became victims of veteran leg-spinner Imran Tahir, who became South Africa's leading wicket-taker in World Cups with 39, one more than retired fast bowler Allan Donald.
Tahir finished with figures of two for 41 from 10 overs while Ngidi finished with three wickets for 64 runs.
SUMMARISED SCORES:
PAKISTAN 308-7 (50) (Haris Sohail 89, Barbar Azam 69, Lungi Ngidi 3/64, Imran Tahir 2/41) v SOUTH AFRICA 259-9 (50) (Faf du Plesis 63, Quinton de Kock for 47, Wahab Riaz 3/46, Shadab Khan 3/50)
Result: Pakistan won by 49 runs