OTD | South Africa won the close-fought match against Pakistan by 1 wicket in ODI World Cup 2023

On this day in 2023, South Africa claimed a thrilling win over Pakistan in the ODI World Cup 2023 in Chennai. A great batting performance from Aiden Markram, a good bowling performance from Tabraiz Shamsi, and a good All-round performance from Marco Jansen helped SA to claim a thrilling win. Pakistan was desperate for a win but threw the match away themselves.

Batting first in hot and humid conditions of Chennai, Pakistan posted a good total of 270 runs on the board. Despite the failure of the openers, the middle order batters took Pakistan’s innings forward. Some handy yet brief stay in the middle from Mohammad Rizwan, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Mohammad Nawaz helped Pakistan.

But it was Babar Azam’s timely fifty and Shadab Khan’s 43(36) that helped Pakistan to finish with a total of 270 runs. SA conceded 19 extras and had themselves to blame for ensuring a slightly higher run chase. Their batters, however, were on a mission. Temba Bavuma and Quinton De Kock went off to a flier before perishing within the PP overs.

Rassie Van Der Dussen’s struggle put SA under a bit of pressure. However, Markram played a classy knock and kept his side ahead of Pakistan in the run chase. At one stage in the chase, SA were 206/4 and needed just 65 runs with 6 wickets in hand. But David Miller’s wicket started a massive collapse which led to a thrilling finish.

By the time Markram was dismissed, SA needed 21 runs with 3 wickets in hand. The equation came down to 11 runs with a solitary wicket in hand. Pakistan dropped a couple of catches and missed a run out. SA held their nerves and clinched a thrilling chase. It was agony for Pakistan as they got so close to win. SA got a step closer to qualifying for the semifinal. Tabraiz Shamsi won the POTM award for his 4/60 with the ball and a handy 4*(6) with the bat under pressure.

Disclaimer: This exclusive news is based on the author’s insights, analysis, and intuition. While reviewing this information, consider the points discussed and form your own conclusions.

Read More: South Africa Claims Series Victory with Epic Win over Pakistan in 1997 Test