Pakistan managed to shake off the criticism from the 124-run loss against India on Sunday with a brilliant bowling response to win by 19 runs in a rain-affected match against South Africa in Edgbaston on Wednesday. Having been asked to bowl, they restricted South Africa to 219/8 in their 50 overs and then finished with 119/3 in their 27 overs when the rain arrived, far ahead of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern par score.
The pacers, Mohammad Amir and Junaid Khan, started proceedings by keeping things quiet but it was the spinners, Imad Wasim and Mohammad Hafeez, who really made things happen, dismissing the Protea openers Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock with 60 on the board. They followed it up with a first-ball dismissal for Ab de Villiers, who hit it straight to point for his first golden duck in ODI career.
After that, it was skiddy right arm pacer Hasan Ali who took over. He had Faf du Plessis playing on to his stumps to leave South Africa four down and then nipped another partnership in the bud, taking two in two, dismissing JP Duminy and Wayne Parnell in successive deliveries to leave South Africa 118/6. Parnell’s delivery was a peach, angling towards leg and straightening to take out the off stump.
At this point, South Africa were in danger of falling for a score below 200 but David Miller, first with Chris Morris in a partnership of 47 and then with Kagiso Rabada in a partnership of 48, staged a recovery. It was Ali again who was in the action again, taking both the catches to dismiss Morris and Rabada, but Miller remained unbeaten on a hard-fought unbeaten 104-ball 75 to ensure South Africa finished on 219/8.
Pakistan got their chase off to a flyer, thanks to debutant Fakhar Zaman who laid into Wayne Parnell and slammed a quickfire 31 off 23 balls, studded with six fours. They were 40/0 after seven overs but Morne Morkel brought them down to earth in a stirring over where he took out both Zaman and his opening partner Azhar Ali.
As it grew increasingly darker, Hafeez and Babar Azam looked to be set in survival mode. They played out 20 successive dots and limped along, bringing with it, the attendant pressure. Morkel and Morris were bowling with fire and there were plenty of plays-and-misses but Hafeez and Azam managed to put on 52 in 96 balls. Morkel, however, had the final say getting the short ball to Hafeez who holed out to Imran Tahir at fine leg.
But this brought out Shoaib Malik who came in with a sense of much-required purpose. With drizzle starting and the possibility of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern par score very much in the air, he slammed three boundaries to ensure that Pakistan remained well ahead of the par score.
When the covers did come on, Pakistan were 119/3 in 27 overs. That ultimately proved the final score. The match was called off later and Pakistan were declared winners by 19 runs on the DLS method.
Brief scores:
South Africa 219/8 in 50 overs (David Miller 75 not out, Quinton de Kock 33; Hasan Ali 3/24, Imad Wasim 2/20) lost against Pakistan 119/3 in 27 overs (Babar Azam 31 not out, Fakhar Zaman 31; Morne Morkel 3/18) by 19 runs (DLS method)
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