Resurgent Pakistan make emphatic comeback with 49-run win, send South Africa packing
A resurgent Pakistan made an emphatic comeback from their dismal performance against India last week with a 47-run victory over South Africa in the 30th match of the World Cup at Lord's Cricket Ground on Sunday.
The Greenshirts won the toss and batted first, setting a hefty 309-run target for the Proteas that they struggled valiantly to meet, ultimately crashing out of the tournament.
Haris Sohail was named Man of the Match. "It was very difficult to sit out of the games, but I knew I would get the opportunity and I was backing myself to do well. When I went in there, the plan was to build a partnership with Babar. It was not easy, but we did well," he said at the end of the game.
Skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed, who has been on the receiving end of some particularly ugly criticism after the last match, seemed like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders today. "I think it's a complete team performance," he said. "Credit to the openers. They played really well. Then Babar took over. And Haris Sohail put in a great performance."
"We changed the combination in this game," he said. "Couple of games earlier, we went with another combination [...] Sometimes change is good for the team. Today, the way Haris batted, he is hungry to play in the game. He was the main factor, the turning point. The way he batted in the last 15 overs, it was like Jos Buttler."
Read: 5 takeaways from Pakistan's crucial win over South Africa
The skipper admitted the team needs to work harder on its fielding ─ they dropped at least six catches today. "All three matches now are very crucial and we have to sort it out."
For both teams, the fixture was a fight for survival. Neither of them had won more than one game so far, but Pakistan had a match in hand and a slightly better chance of making the semi-finals.
Pakistan, who have been trying to shake the 'unpredictable' tag, remarkably clawed their way back from a thumping defeat by India on June 16 that left morale low and exposed the national side to harsh, widespread criticism.
Pakistan innings
The match opened quietly, with a dull South Africa side lacking punch in their performance. Pakistan played cautiously, building up their total slowly without losing too many early wickets too soon.
The Proteas also perked up after some pressure on the Greenshirts by Imran Tahir seemed to inject energy into the South African side. Pakistan posted a total of 308 for 7 wickets as the stands, awash with green, cheered their team on.
The openers, Fakhar Zaman and Imamul Haq, maintained a steady strike rate, posting 50 in the 8th over, and pulling together a solid 81-run partnership before the former was dismissed.
Imam got a scare in the 7th over when Kagiso Rabada sent a fullish delivery his way, just outside leg stump. Although it hit Imam's front pad and Rabada appealed for an LBW, it wasn't given. Du Plessis didn't try for a review, either.
Partnerships:
- Imamul Haq (35) and Fakhar Zaman (44): 81 from 91 balls
- Imamul Haq (9) and Babar Azam (8): 17 from 34 balls
- Babar Azam (23) and Mohammad Hafeez (20): 45 from 57 balls
- Babar Azam (38) and Haris Sohail (40): 81 from 68 balls
- Haris Sohail (43) and Imad Wasim (23): 71 from 40 balls
- Haris Sohail (5) and Wahab Riaz (4) : 9 from 7 balls
- Haris Sohail (1) and Sarfaraz Ahmed (2): 3 from 4 balls
- Sarfaraz Ahmed (0) and Shadab Khan (1): 1 from 1 ball