Pakistan pulled off a thrilling 29-run win over South Africa in the World Cup on Saturday after Proteas captain AB de Villiers couldn’t manage to carry his team to victory as his teammates collapsed around him. Pakistan scored just 222 in its rain-affected innings at Eden Park and appeared headed for defeat against South Africa’s powerful batting lineup. The Proteas, needing 232 to win under the Duckworth-lewis system, raced to 67-1 after nine overs but then collapsed, losing five wickets for 35 runs. De Villiers led a rearguard South African comeback, smashing 77 off 58 balls, but it wasn’t quite enough as the team was all out for 202.
Pakistan wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed won man-of-the-match honors after scoring 49 and then equaling the world record for a one-day match by taking six catches. It was his first game in the tournament, after he was brought in as a replacement for struggling opener Nasir Jamshed. Two rain delays during Pakistan’s innings suspended play for about 75 minutes in total, reducing the match to 47 overs per side. In the end, neither side batted out their overs. Captain Misbah ul-Haq led the way for Pakistan with a solid knock of 56.
The team’s decision to replace its struggling opener with Sarfraz paid off. In his innings, he started slowly but then began to dominate, smashing three sixes in one over off JP Duminy. But his innings came to an end when he was run out by David Miller for 49. Shahid Afridi led a late charge, scoring 22 runs off 15 balls. But the team lost its last five wickets for just 10 runs. South Africa, after losing Quinton de Kock early, scored at more than seven runs per over. Opener Hashim Amla crashed eight consecutive fours to open his tally, finally hitting a two before smashing a ninth boundary.
But then Francois du Plessis was caught behind in the 10th over, sparking a surprising collapse. Amla was out the same way in the next over for 38.South Africa was in deep trouble at 77 for five as AB de Villiers and JP Duminy looked to steady the innings. But then Duminy fell with the score at 102. De Villiers tried to win it solo, but when he was out with South Africa at 200, it was all but over.