Pakistan vs South Africa Highlights, World Cup 2023: In a thrilling clash at the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 on October 27 in Chennai, South Africa emerged victorious over Pakistan by a narrow one-wicket margin while chasing a target of 270.
At the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam, won the toss and opted to bat first. Temba Bavuma, the South African skipper, expressed his preference for batting first as well.
Despite a shaky start, Pakistan managed to post a total of 270 runs on the scoreboard before losing all their wickets. Leading the charge for Pakistan were Skipper Babar Azam (50), Saud Shakeel (52), and Shadab Khan (43). Tabraiz Shamsi took 4 wickets for the Proteas, while Marco Jansen claimed 3, Gerald Coetzee secured 2, and Lungi Ngidi got 1 wicket.
Chasing 271 for victory, South Africa lost Quinton de Kock early, but Temba Bavuma (28) and Rassie van der Dussen (21) kept the momentum going. Despite losing wickets along the way, South Africa successfully navigated Pakistan’s strong bowling attack, largely thanks to Aiden Markram’s exceptional innings (91). In the end, Keshav Maharaj sealed the game with a boundary on the second delivery of the 48th over, leading South Africa to a nail-biting victory with 16 balls to spare.
For Pakistan, Shaheen Shah Afridi picked up three wickets, while Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim, and Usama Mir each contributed with two wickets.
With this crucial win, South Africa claimed the top position on the ICC points table, ahead of India, with 10 points, while Pakistan currently sits in the 6th position with 4 points.
Both South Africa and Pakistan made a few changes in their playing XIs. An injured Hassan Ali was replaced by Mohammad Wasim Jr, and Mohammad Nawaz returned to the team after recovering from an injury. South Africa brought in Temba Bavuma, Tabraiz Shamsi, and Lungi Ngidi in place of Reeza Hendricks, Kagiso Rabada, and Lizaad Williams.
There was speculation that Babar Azam could lose the captaincy if Pakistan failed to qualify for the World Cup, so the world’s top-ranked ODI batsman was eager to make a statement with his performance. Shadab Khan, an all-rounder who had a disappointing tournament with only 74 runs, was another player seeking redemption after being dropped from the squad and subsequently reinstated due to an injury to Mohammed Nawaz.
World Cup Squads:
Pakistan:
- Babar Azam (c)
- Shadab Khan
- Fakhar Zaman
- Imam-ul-Haq
- Abdullah Shafique
- Mohammad Rizwan (w/k)
- Saud Shakeel
- Iftikhar Ahmed
- Salman Ali Agha
- Mohammad Nawaz
- Usama Mir
- Haris Rauf
- Hasan Ali
- Shaheen Afridi
- Mohammad Wasim
South Africa:
- Temba Bavuma (c)
- Gerald Coetzee
- Quinton de Kock (w/k)
- Marco Jansen
- Heinrich Klaasen
- Andile Phehlukwayo
- Keshav Maharaj
- Aiden Markram
- David Miller
- Lungi Ngidi
- Kagiso Rabada
- Tabraiz Shamsi
- Rassie van der Dussen
- Lizaad Williams
When and where to watch the Pakistan vs South Africa match:
The Pakistan vs South Africa match will be broadcast live on Indian television via Star Sports channels. Indian viewers can also enjoy free live streaming of the matches on the Disney+Hotstar app and website. Social media giant Meta has partnered with the ICC for World Cup 2023 coverage on Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Threads. The match is scheduled to start at 2 PM.
Key Highlights of the Match:
- Pakistan’s skipper Babar Azam won the toss and chose to bat first.
- The opening pair for Pakistan, Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq, began the innings.
- South African pacer Marco Jansen struck early by dismissing Abdullah Shafique.
- Pakistan’s skipper Babar Azam remained at the crease with Imam-ul-Haq.
- Marco Jansen struck again, and Imam-ul-Haq was also dismissed.
- Muhammad Rizwan and Babar Azam were building a partnership, but Gerald Coetzee dismissed Rizwan.
- Spinner Tabraiz Shamsi dismissed Iftikhar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, and Shaheen Afridi.
- Gerald Coetzee claimed his second wicket by dismissing Shadab Khan.
- Marco Jansen secured his third wicket by dismissing Mohammad Nawaz.
- South Africa bowled out Pakistan for a total of 270 runs, leaving the Proteas needing 271 runs to win.
South Africa’s Innings:
After an expensive over, Shaheen Shah Afridi bowled his second over and got back into rhythm, dismissing de Kock (24) in the third ball of the fourth over.
South Africa reached 50 runs in 6.5 overs (41 balls).
Mohammad Wasim was brought into the attack and he dismissed Bavuma in the fifth ball of the 10th over.
South Africa reached 100 runs in 13.4 overs (82 balls).
The third-wicket partnership between Dussen and Markram reached 50 runs in 46 balls.
Usama Mir removed HE van der Dussen (21) in the 18.5 over.
Proteas lost Heinrich Klaasen (12) to Mohammad Wasim in the fourth delivery of the 22nd over.
South Africa completed 150 runs in 24.4 overs (148 balls), with 10 extras.
AK Markram reached his 50 off 50 balls.
South Africa reached 200 runs in 32.2 overs (194 balls).
Shaheen Shah Afridi dismissed David Miller (29) on the first delivery of the 34th over.
Haris Rauf dismissed Marco Jansen (20) in the fifth delivery of the 37th over.
South Africa reached 250 runs in 40.1 overs (241 balls).
Usama Mir removed Aiden Markram (91) in the second delivery of the 41st over.
Shaheen Shah Afridi struck again, dismissing Coetzee (10) in the first delivery of the 42nd over.
Maharaj finished the game with a boundary on the second delivery of the 48th over, leading South Africa to a one-wicket victory.
Tabraiz Shamsi of South Africa was named the ‘Player of the Match’ for picking up 4 wickets