Pakistan keeps T20 World Cup hopes alive by defeating South Africa.

SYDNEY: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-Nov 3rd, 2022) Pakistan on Thursday defeated South Africa by 33 runs (DLS method) in their Super 12 encounter of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup at the SCG on Thursday.

By doing excellent bowling, Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed rescued Pakistan.

Pakistan looked in deep trouble when they were reduced to 43/4 inside just seven overs. Mohammad Haris entertained briefly while with his 11-ball knock of 28 at the top of the order but Babar Azam (6), Mohammad Rizwan (4) and Shan Masood (2) got dismissed cheaply, leaving the lower middle-order with a lot of catching up to do.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam won the toss and opted to bat first.

Iftikhar Ahmed and Shadab Khan led Pakistan to strong position by scoring fifties.

This is a do-or-die clash for Pakistan as a loss here will knock them out of the semi-final race. A win will keep their hopes alive but they need to ensure a victory by a big margin as well in order to boost their NRR.

Playing XI

South Africa: Quinton de Kock(w), Temba BavuMA(c), Rilee Rossouw, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, Tristan Stubbs, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi

Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan(w), Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Haris, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah