Pakistan vs. South Africa Highlights, Big ICC World Cup 2023 Upset: In a crucial match on October 27th, 2023, in Chennai, South Africa narrowly defeated Pakistan by just one wicket in the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023.
Shocking ICC World Cup 2023 Upset
Babar Azam, the captain of Pakistan, won the toss and chose to bat first at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Temba Bavuma, the South African captain, expressed his preference to bat first as well.
Despite a shaky start, Pakistan managed to post a total of 270 runs after losing all their wickets. Babar Azam (50), Saud Shakeel (52), and Shadab Khan (43) contributed with the bat for the Pakistani team. For the Proteas, Tabraiz Shamsi took 4 wickets, Marco Jansen claimed 3, Gerald Coetzee took 2, and Lungi Ngidi picked up 1 wicket.
Chasing 271 runs, South Africa lost De Kock early, but Temba Bavuma (28) and Rassie van der Dussen (21) kept the run rate going. Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, a splendid innings of 91 by Aiden Markram allowed South Africa to achieve a remarkable victory. In the end, Keshav Maharaj hit a boundary on the second ball of the 48th over to seal the match, with Proteas winning by one wicket.
For Pakistan, Shaheen Shah Afridi took three wickets, while Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim, and Usama Mir claimed two wickets each.
With this win, South Africa leads the ICC points table with 10 points, ahead of India. Pakistan, on the other hand, is in sixth place with 4 points.
Both South Africa and Pakistan made some changes to their playing elevens. Mohammad Wasim Junior replaced the injured Hasan Ali in the Pakistan team, and Mohammad Nawaz returned after his injury. Meanwhile, Temba Bavuma, Tabraiz Shamsi, and Lungi Ngidi secured their places in the South African playing eleven against Riza Hendricks, Kagiso Rabada, and Lizaad Williams.
In the midst of these developments, if Pakistan fails to qualify for the World Cup, questions may arise about Babar Azam’s captaincy, as the world’s number one ODI batsman may want to focus on his batting skills.
To prove their worth for Pakistan, another player to watch is Shadab Khan, an all-rounder who has had a disappointing performance in the 2023 World Cup so far, with only 74 runs to his name. Shadab, who was dropped from the team, returned in the last match when Mohammad Nawaz got injured.