On Friday (October 27), Pakistan suffered their fourth consecutive defeat in the 2023 World Cup.
South Africa managed a heart-stopping victory over them by just one wicket at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. This win propelled them to the top of the points table. On the side, Pakistan’s dream of reaching the semi-finals has suffered a major blow, with them having gathered just four points from six matches.
In the encounter, Babar Azam won the toss and chose to bat first. The Men in Green reached 270 in 46.4 overs before being bowled out by the Proteas. In the batting department, they were helped by Babar Azam (50), Saud Shakeel (52), and Shadab Khan (42). Tabraiz Shamsi was the standout bowler for South Africa, taking four wickets.
South Africa’s pursuit was a roller coaster ride, with most of their batsmen getting starts but none of them scoring large until Aiden Markram (91). As a consequence, Pakistan’s aspirations were revived, and they continued to battle valiantly. When they reduced South Africa to 260/9 in 45.3 overs, they truly had the upper hand.
Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi, South Africa’s final batting duo, retained their composure and completed the game in the 48th over.
Cricket lovers on social media had a blast watching the nail-biting match between South Africa and Pakistan in the 2023 World Cup. They shared their excitement and reactions through some pretty funny memes online.
Here is a collection of the best memes:
South Africa Captain Temba Bavuma Celebrates Their Thrilling One-Wicket Victory Over Pakistan
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma commented on the victory during the post-match presentation, saying:
“The guys are enjoying the moment. Nail-biting finish. Speaking for a South African fan you’re a little bit happy. It’s been a pressure with us chasing. We haven’t done well to rectify that. We’ve had those conversations and it’s a bit easier to have those conversations now with the win. You need to have the guys over there in the pressure situations to speak out what they were thinking.”
“Hard to say now, I’m still enjoying the win myself but we will have those conversations. It’s something that we’ve spoken about and has been thrown about. We have a blueprint and a method batting first. We can’t say with conviction that we have the blueprint while we’re chasing. We’ll obviously want to show a lot more of a clinical display with the bat.”
Temba Bavuma
Bavuma also praised Tabraiz Shamsi for his outstanding performance in this game, saying:
“Ecstatic for Shamsi – he started it with the ball. He then did it with the bat. We needed him today and fortunately for us he came good. Superb from a senior player like Shamsi to get through a pressure moment like that.”
Temba Bavuma