Pakistan stifle Proteas to 219/8
Birmingham, June 7: Faced with a do-or-die situation, fired-up Pakistan produced an inspiring bowling show to restrict South Africa to a modest 219/8 in a crucial Group B ICC Champions Trophy match, here on Wednesday.
After an embarrassing defeat against India, Pakistan bowled their hearts out after South Africa elected to bat at Edgbaston, which had a slightly slow wicket.
The spinners choked the Proteas in the beginning with three strikes and later the pacemen pulled the rug from under South Africa’s feet with fiery spells.
Had it not been for a fighting knock from David Miller (75 not out) and his timely 47-run stand with Chris Morris (28) for the seventh wicket, the Proteas would have even struggled to get close to 200-run mark.
It was Miller’s slowest fifty in ODI cricket as he took 83 balls to complete it but it came at a crucial time for his side. Miller’s 79-run knock had only four boundaries.
Miller also found some good support from Kagiso Rabada, who came up with a 26-run knock as the they added 48 runs for the eight wicket. These two partnerships after South Africa were struggling at 118 for six, propped up the Proteas innings.
Left-arm spinner Imad Wasim took two wickets upfront while Hasan Ali (3/18) wiped off the middle order in a sensational three-wicket burst that turned the tide in the favour of Pakistan, who need to win this match to stay alive.
Pacers Mohammed Amir and Junaid Khan (2/53) did not take many wickets but peppered the South Africans with well- calculated yorkers to further choke them. Pakistan spinners proved very effective early in the South African innings with Wasim (2/20) and Mohammed Hafeez (1/51) cleaning up the top-order within 15 overs. Wasim, introduced in the ninth over, struck with his second ball to break the opening stand.