The chants of Dil, dil Pakistan returned to the stands as Pakistan defeated South Africa by 49 runs to put its World Cup campaign back on track.
At Lord’s here, Haris Sohail’s breezy 89 in 59 balls, followed by a fine performance by its bowlers, helped Pakistan stay alive in the race for semifinals.
After Sohail’s quickfire knock guided the team to 308 for seven in a must-win fixture on Sunday, bowlers — Mohammad Amir (two for 49) and Shadab Khan (three for 50) — ran through the middle-order, restricting the Proteas to 259 for nine. Wahab Riaz, too, grabbed three wickets in the end.
Fightback
South Africa lost Hashim Amla early in the chase, trapped leg-before by Amir for just two. However, the Proteas did fight back with captain Faf du Plessis (63) and Quinton de Kock (47) adding 87 for the second wicket.
Shadab removed de Kock and Aiden Markram in quick succession. Putting the pressure back on South Africa, Amir showed the exit to du Plessis soon.
Even though David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen forged a 53-run stand, it wasn’t enough for South Africa to cross the line.
While it was a welcome win for Pakistan, the side did put up a sloppy show on the field, dropping six catches but it did not hurt them in the end.
Earlier in the day, the 30-year-old Sohail bolstered Pakistan’s batting unit, smashing nine boundaries and three sixes.
Capitalising on a good start by openers — Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq — who put together 81 runs, Haris took things in his stride. He added 81 runs for the fourth wicket with Babar Azam (69 off 80). He topped that up with a brisk 71-run stand with Imad Wasim.
Pakistan piled up 91 runs in the last ten overs, with Sohail standing tall to propel the total past the 300-mark.
Tahir went past Allan Donald as the highest wicket-taker for the Proteas in the World Cup, with 38 wickets. But that was not enough for the Proteas on the day.
