T20 World Cup 2022: Pak Beats SA, Still In Semi-Final Race

Pakistan defeated South Africa in the Super 12 match at the Sydney Cricket Ground by 33 runs (DLS Method), keeping their dreams of reaching the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final alive. The Men in Green have also moved to third position in the points rankings, with South Africa in second place.

Pakistan was in trouble after Mohammad Rizwan was dismissed for a duck after opting to bat first in the must-win game. Lungi Ngidi's dismissal of Babar Azam maintained his poor record. Mohammad Haris smashed 28 runs off 11 balls, including two fours and three sixes. Shan Masood failed to create an impression as well. After Mohammad Nawaz was removed, Pakistan was reduced to 95 for five in 13 overs. From there, Iftikhar Ahmed and Shadab Khan took control. Iftikhar got 51 runs off 35 balls, but Shadab was the star of the show. Shadab hit 50 off 20 balls, the second-fastest fifty recorded by a Pakistani batsman in T20 World Cups behind Shoaib Malik.

The South African run-chase got off to a shaky start when Shaheen Shah Afridi sent back Quinton de Kock and Rilee Rossouw in quick succession. However, a 49-run stand between Temba Bavuma and Aiden Markram bring back South Africa into the game. Rain caused play to be halted at the end of the 19th over, putting the Proteas 16 runs below the DLS par total.

When play restarted, South Africa was given a revised goal of 142 from 14 overs, which meant they needed to score 73 runs in their final five overs to win the match.

Tristan Stubbs and Heinrich Klaasen smashed boundaries, but the needed run rate increased. South Africa lost wickets at frequent intervals in an attempt to hit big shots but fell far short of the mark. They scored 108 for nine in 14 overs and faced their first defeat in the T20 World Cup 2022. Meanwhile, with this win, Pakistan was still in the race for semi- finals,

Here is the group  2 points table after Pak win:

Group 2 Points Table - it's going down till the last match to find our Semi Finalists. pic.twitter.com/tp79ndrZoC

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) November 3, 2022

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