Shadab Khan starred with bat and ball as Pakistan kept alive their hopes of reaching the T20 World Cup semi-finals with a 33-run Duckworth-Lewis-Stern win over South Africa.
Pakistan needed a win at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday to have any chance of qualifying and they recovered from a poor start to come out on top after posting 185-9 in a rain-affected match.
Shadab (52 off 22 balls) scored the second-fastest T20I half-century for Pakistan, scoring 82 for the sixth wicket with Iftikhar Ahmed (51 off 35) in just under six overs as Babar Azam’s side in a momentum was reduced to 43-4.
A drop in catches cost the Proteas as the rain began to fall in Sydney, where Anrich Nortje took 4-41, and they were 16-2 at the start of the chase after the brilliant Shaheen Shah Afridi removed Quinton de Kock and Rilee Rossouw.
Shadab again came to the fore by dismissing Temba Bavuma (36 off 19) and Aiden Markram (19 off 14) in his first over, with South Africa 69-4 from nine overs when rain halted play.
The Proteas, without the injured David Miller due to back spasms, needed another 73 runs from 30 balls to maintain their unbeaten record when play resumed, but wickets fell as they were restricted to 108-9.
Pakistan move up to third in Group 2, one point behind South Africa and two clear of leaders India with a game to play in the Super 12 stage.
The Proteas take on the Netherlands at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday, with Pakistan taking on Bangladesh at the same venue and India taking on Zimbabwe.
Shadab and Iftikhar to the rescue
Pakistan were in trouble at 95-5 when Shadab joined Iftikhar in the middle, and the pair came to the rescue with an incredible attack.
Shadab reached the half-century mark from just 20 balls by hitting four sixes and hitting three fours in a blistering knock. Only six batsmen have achieved a fastest fifty in Men’s T20 World Cup history.
Iftikhar cleared the rope on two occasions and hit three more boundaries, with the Proteas also giving Pakistan a helping hand in the field even before the rain made life difficult for the players.
Afridi shows his class, double strike by Shadab
Left-arm paceman Afridi was superb with the new ball, catching the dangerous De Kock in the ring and Rossouw in the deep.
He took 3-14 from three high-quality appearances, having also seen the back of Heinrich Klaasen after the rain break.
Shadab (2-16) also made a big impact with the ball, trapping Bavuma leg first with his third ball and bowling Markram with the third as Pakistan made it four wins in the T20 World Cup of four against South Africa.
