A very fine crowd of 29,983 was in attendance at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk, Chennai as South Africa beat Pakistan in a thriller. The win took the Proteas to the top of the table on NRR.
There were always doubts about the Proteas’ ability to chase in pressure situations following their loss to the Netherlands earlier in the tournament, and they very nearly made a mess here of what was otherwise seemingly a straightforward chase, going from 206/4 after 33 overs to 250/8 in the 42nd over.
However the troika of Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi and Tabraiz Shamsi hung on gamely and despite a wonder catch by Haris Rauf in his final over to dismiss Ngidi, it came down to 5 to win, with the pacers having finished their spells. Babar Azam oddly tossed the ball to Mohammad Nawaz instead of specialist spinner Usama Mir, and the left armer bowled one down leg than Maharaj was able to tuck away to the boundary to give South Africa a famous victory.
