In a nail-biter on Friday night, Pakistan suffered their fourth consecutive loss in this World Cup after South Africa defeated them by one wicket. It’s the first time in history that Pakistan suffered four consecutive defeats in any World Cup.
Chasing 272, South Africa lost nine wickets as fans were sitting on the edge till the last hit when Maharaj smashed the ball for a four to secure victory for his team.
Fourth consecutive defeats for Pakistan! South Africa speak victory by one wicket
Already noted as ‘one of the best’ games in this World Cup by fans across social media, the match got the viewers hooked till the end. Batting first Pakistan put up 271 runs on the board.
Captain Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel scored respective fifties and helped their team put a decent total on the board. Shamshi was amazing with the ball as he picked up four wickets and was rewarded as the player of the match.
Pakistan bowlers were attacking from the beginning and kept taking wickets in between overs without letting South Africa to build long partnerships. Markram’s awesome 91 almost did it for South Africa till he was picked up by Usama Mir.
South Africa lost their ninth wicket in 260 runs, which added more thrill to the game. In the end, it was then who kept their nerves and sealed a one-wicket victory to jump to the top of the table. Shaheen Afridi was again great with the ball as he picked up three wickets. However, it was not Pakistan’s day on the field today.
Post-match interviews
Bavuma, who seemed happy about the win, mentioned that the players are enjoying themselves now. However, he also said there needs to be a conversation on their chase because they didn’t have a great display. He praised Shamsi’s bowling, too.
Babar Azam, disappointed with another win, said that they were 10-15 runs short. Praising the bowlers, he said they did really well, but it’s all part of the game. He concluded, saying they will put their best efforts in the remaining three matches and see where they stand after that.
Shashi credited the bowlers who bowled before him and mentioned he was happy. Talking about how he had to come to bat, he said he wasn’t expecting to come to the interview with pads on. He knew his job was to get Maharaj on strike and concluded, saying the latter was amazing with the bat to do the job for the team.
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