Shadab Khan produced an almost perfect all-round performance, striking 52 off 22 at No 7 and then taking two big wickets off his first three balls to deliver a net run-rate boosting win for Pakistan over South Africa in Sydney. Pakistan will now need one of two improbable events to happen – South Africa have to lose to Netherlands or India have to go down to Zimbabwe – and will also have to beat Bangladesh in their last group game on Sunday to reach the T20 World Cup semi-finals.
On Thursday, though, it was a vintage performance from Pakistan, the kind that has made them such a thrilling side to watch for decades. Having lost off the last ball to India, and off the last ball again to Zimbabwe by one run, Pakistan recovered from 43 for 4 to absolutely crush the team of the tournament so far.
Sydney had produced an average first-innings score of 188 in four games, but even here, Pakistan’s top order was taken apart quickly by the South African pace battery. Mohammad Rizwan chopped Wayne Parnell onto his stumps, the bounce and inward seam movement defeating him.
A scratchy Babar Azam made his highest score of the T20 World Cup, but he was still four short of double figures when he holed out off Lungi Ngidi to a running take over his shoulder by Kagiso Rabada. Azam has averaged 3.50 for the tournament at a strike-rate of 46.66.
Pegged back by Anrich Nortje’s extreme pace, Shan Masood was done in by a slower knuckle-ball, and popped it straight to mid-off.
Amid this, young Mohammad Haris – playing only his second T20I in place of the injured Fakhar Zaman – showed why he had been picked ahead of Asif Ali, Haider Ali and Khushdil Shah. He swung and pulled Kagiso Rabada for three successive boundaries – six, six and four – all of them meaty, clean connections that told of the immense potential of this Peshawar Zalmi opener. Haris even scooped Nortje right over the wicketkeeper for six, but the fun was too good to last any longer, as Nortje trapped him plumb in front next delivery for a 11-ball 28.
Pakistan hadn’t even put 50 on the board yet. But Iftikhar had launched a counter-attack against India as well, and he’d do the same to the South Africans. Made to hop and pinged on the glove by Rabada, he launched the pacer over mid-off and cut him for fours. He’d keep scoring the odd boundary, coming to life suddenly to launch the fast bowlers down the ground.
Still, the real thrust at the death would come from the 24-year old Shadab. The leg-spin all-rounder has done it with the bat before in the Pakistan Super League for Islamabad United, but this would be his maiden T20I half-century.
South Africa had gone for the left-arm wrist-spin of Tabraiz Shamsi instead of the left-arm orthodox of Keshav Maharaj. Mohammad Nawaz had tried to get after him with a slog-swept six but failed to review an lbw next delivery, even as replays showed he had under-edged it onto his pad. But Shadab made sure Shamsi went for a few towards the end of his spell as he made room and launched him a couple of times over extra cover.
The second half of the Pakistan innings was played under a persistent drizzle that would eventually get heavy enough to force an interruption in the chase, and reduce the South African innings to 14 overs.
At the moment, it was making the ball wet, but the South Africans nevertheless chose to go for their yorkers. The ball would repeatedly slip out of Nortje’s hands, ending up as high full tosses that Shadab mowed for sixes. Before that, he actually charged Nortje and lofted him for four, and also upper-cut a massive six over third man.
A chase of 186 against a high-quality attack was always going to be difficult, especially on a ground where all four previous chases had been unsuccessful, and the lowest margin of defeat had been a steep 56 runs. But the drizzle had meant the ball was skidding onto the ball, and the tacky pitch was playing better.
South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma would finally find some form, with a 19-ball 36. But given the early departures of left-handers Quinton de Kock and Rilee Rossouw to Shaheen Shah Afridi – and with the injury-forced absence of David Miller – the Pakistan spinners had four preferable right-handers to deal with. And Shadab was to strike with his very first delivery, in the eighth over. Wet ball notwithstanding, he landed it on a lovely length around off that drew Bavuma forward and then spun away to take an edge to the wicketkeeper.
Two balls later, he pitched it up into Aiden Markram, who being predominantly back-foot oriented, played it from the crease, only to flail all around it as it crashed into his stumps. From 65 for 2, South Africa had slumped to 66 for 4, and the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern par score had shot up instantly. The rain picked up an over later, and when play resumed, South Africa needed as many as 73 in five overs. It was too much against the four-man Pakistan pace attack, who wrung out a 33-run win, despite Haris Rauf proving expensive. But Shadab had already landed the decisive blows earlier, with both bat and ball, and kept Pakistan narrowly alive going into the final round of group matches on Sunday.
Brief Scores: Pakistan 185/9 in 20 ovs (Iftikhar Ahmed 51, Shadab Khan 52; Anrich Nortje 4/41) beat South Africa 108/9 in 14 ovs (Temba Bavuma 36; Shaheen Shah Afridi 3/14) by 33 runs D/L method
Shadab Khan, second right, is congratulated by teammates after dismissing South Africa's Aiden Markram during . (AP) 
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