Today Temba Bavuma’s Protea brigade faces Pakistan at Sydney Cricket Ground. Currently, South Africa holds the second position in Group 2 point table, and the opponent stands second from the last.
In the match, Pakistan’s decision to bat first seemed like a mistake at the beginning as the opening pair Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan got out after scoring only 4 and 6 runs respectively. Needless to say today’s ‘do or die match did not start on a good note for Babar Azam’s squad but fortunately ShAdab Khan and Iftikhar’s 82 runs in 36 balls turned the match around and put a handsome score of 185/9 on the board. Shadab, the man of the match, made the second-fastest fifty for a Pakistan Batsman, only in 20 balls.
The official account of the Pakistan Cricket Board took to Twitter and congratulated the man of the match.
2️⃣2️⃣-ball 5️⃣2️⃣ and a double-strike in his first over 🌟@76Shadabkhan bags the player of the match award for his all-round heroics 🏆#WeHaveWeWill | #T20WorldCup | #PAKvSA pic.twitter.com/cFaBrOWCsW
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) November 3, 2022
Also, Shahid Afridi made a tweet earlier today wishing the team and looks like his prayers worked wonders.
Boys give your best in todays match, put up a challenging game for your fans, every player must step up as a strong team. What happens in the tournament for 🇵🇰 is open and my wish is to just see you win todays match InshAllah the rest of the tournament will take care of it self.
— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) November 3, 2022
During the second innings, chasing the score on the board did not commence easily for the Proteas, in fact, they lost wickets one after the other at a rapid pace. Started with Quinton de Kock who failed to put a single run on the board, followed by Rossouw who left during the second over, and then Bavuma and Markram in the seventh over. However after nine overs when the score reached only 69/4, fortunately for the South Africa squad the game was marred by rain.
Harsha Bhogle believed in a dire situation like this, the absence of a big hitter like David Miller in today’s match might become one of the reasons the Proteas end up with a tragedy.
Miller’s absence could be a big factor in this game. Good toss to win for Pakistan. They need Babar not to worry about strike rate today and just be himself.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) November 3, 2022
Not just in batting, Pakistan’s key player Shadab Khan seemed to have also found his luck with the ball too.
Snatching two crucial wickets like Bavuma and Markram, Khan impressed all the Cricket experts and critics.
Shadab Khan is a prime example and a definition of a selfless player who never ever thinks about his scores and is only concerned for the requirements of the team. Shadab Khan makes sure no stone is left unturned in giving sweat blood & tears on the field of cricket! #T20WorldCup
— Arfa Feroz Zake (@ArfaSays_) November 3, 2022
As per Duckworth Lewis’s score, South Africa was 16 runs behind when the rain interrupted which left Pakistan with a higher chance of winning.
Later when the game resumed and the covers were all off, the Proteas had a revised target of 142 runs in 14 overs. However, the bowling attack of Pakistan wasted no time and soon enough South Africa’s nine wickets were gone ensuring Pakistan’s victory by 33 runs.