South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma on Friday said that his team were lucky after pulling off a one-wicket win over Pakistan in a sensational finish to their Cricket World Cup match in Chennai.
South Africa were well on course for a comfortable win at 206-4 after being set 271 to win, but Aiden Markram’s dismissal for a brilliant 91 gave Pakistan a sniff of victory.
It was left to the last pair of Keshav Maharaj (7 not out) and Tabraiz Shamsi (4 not out) to score the last 11 runs for South Africa’s fifth win in six games.
Photo: Reuters
Bavuma said his side were lucky to pull off victory.
“I do think we could have shown a lot more of a clinical display in going about that run chase,” Bavuma said. “I think we did have luck on our side. We did give them opportunities to get into the game.”
Markram added 70 for the fifth wicket with David Miller (29) to lift his team from 136-4 before they lost the next six wickets for 54 runs.
Photo: AFP
Pakistan have lost four of six matches. To reach the semi-finals, they must win their final three group matches and hope other results go their way.
Bavuma said that players were jumping up and down in the dying moments.
“It was a little bit chaotic now with the guys jumping around. I think obviously at the end as well, we were all on the edge of our seats,” he said. “I think you had everyone’s opinions flying around as to how we should be going about that run chase, but at the end of the day, the guys who were in there, Keshav and Shamsi, did it for us.”
Bavuma said his team needed to chase wisely.
“I think the gods were with us, but like I said, it’s easier for us to have those conversations regarding our blueprint and how we want to go about going about those run chases,” he said.
South Africa have won four matches while batting first and were upset by the Netherlands when they failed to chase a 246-run target.
In yesterday’s early game in Dharamsala, Rachin Ravindra hit his second century of the tournament as New Zealand fell five runs short of Australia’s 388.
The 23-year-old Ravindra, who scored 123 in their opening win over England, reached three figures from 77 balls with seven fours and five sixes.
He had shared in a 96-run partnership for the third wicket with Daryl Mitchell as New Zealand attempted to pull off the second-highest successful chase in ODI cricket.
Mitchell was dismissed for 54 by leg-spinner Adam Zampa (3-74), holing out to long-on.
Needing 19 from the final over, James Neesham (58) was run out when a six from the final ball would have won New Zealand the game.
Earlier, Travis Head marked his first World Cup game with 109 and David Warner made 81 for Australia, who gained their fourth win in six games.
Additional reporting by staff writer
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and partner Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia yesterday advanced to the women’s doubles final at the Australian Open after defeating New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe and Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 6-3 in their semi-final. Hsieh has won nine Grand Slam doubles titles and has a shot at a 10th tomorrow, when the Latvian-Taiwanese duo are to play Taylor Townsend of the US and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic in the championship match at the A$96.5 million (US$61 million) outdoor hard court tournament at Melbourne Park. Townsend and Siniakova eliminated Russian pair Diana Shnaider and Mirra Andreeva 6-7
Manchester City have reached do-or-die territory in the UEFA Champions League earlier than expected ahead of what Pep Guardiola has described as a “final” against Club Brugge today. City have disproved the suggestion a new format to Europe’s top club competition would remove any jeopardy for the top clubs as Guardiola stares down the barrel of failing to make the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in his career. The English champions have endured a torrid season both in their English Premier League title defense and on the continent. A run of one win in 13 games, which included Champions League
FINAL WEEK LOOMS: PSG rose to 22nd place to set up another tense challenge against 24th-placed Stuttgart, while Man City require victory against Club Brugge Manchester City are on the brink of a humiliating UEFA Champions League exit after a stunning loss to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, while Real Madrid is no longer at risk after routing Salzburg. Man City blew a two-goal lead in a high-stakes clash of super-wealthy underachievers that PSG won 4-2 in Paris, who could still be eliminated alongside the English champions after the final round of games next week. Only the top 24 in the 36-team standings are to advance. Man City, the 2023 champions, are in 25th place, but could squeeze into the knockout playoffs round by beating Club Brugge. “We will
Things are somewhat out of control at the Australian Open this year, and that has only a little to do with the results on the courts. Yes, there were some upsets, including Madison Keys eliminating No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the women’s singles semi-finals on Thursday. It also was the first time since 1990 that three teenagers beat top-10 men’s seeds at a Grand Slam tennis tournament. The loser of one of those matches, Daniil Medvedev, got fined US$76,000 for behaving badly. Last year’s women’s singles runner-up exited in the first round. However, the real fuss is happening elsewhere. The rowdy fans, for one
RSS