Pakistan beats South Africa under Duckworth/Lewis method

June 8, 2017: Pakistan rose like a phoenix from the ashes on Tuesday after getting thrashed by their archrivals India. They have defeated South Africa at Edgbaston by 19 runs on the Duckworth/Lewis method to keep their Champions Trophy hopes alive.

Only three days back, Pakistan faced an embarrassing 124-run defeat at the hands of defending champions India.

In spite of being nowhere near South Africa when it comes to team rankings, Pakistan succeeded in restricting the former to 219 for eight after losing the toss. This is a huge improvement considering the 319 for three they conceded against India.

After the spinners did the early damage for Pakistan, Paceman Hasan Ali added to Proteas’s woes with three for 24 in eight overs. David Miller (75 not out) helped keep South Africa in the game.

David Miller’s unbeaten 75, which includes a fighting 47-run partnership with Chris Morris (28) for the seventh wicket, helped South Africa stay in the game.

Fast bowler Morne Morkel rekindled hopes for the Proteas by bagging two wickets in the same over. Pakistan appeared wishy-washy with their 41 for two under the floodlights at this stage.

Nevertheless, Babar Azam (31 not out) and Shoaib Malik (16 not out) were able to take Pakistan to 119 for three off 27 overs at the time when the heavens opened and rain stopped game play. This helped Pakistan to stay well ahead of their target of 101. When umpires decided after around two hours that resuming the match was impossible, underdogs Pakistan had beaten favorites South Africa under the Duckworth/Lewis method.

The result has opened up new possibilities in Group B. South Africa, which has already defeated Sri Lanka by 96 runs, is set to have their faceoff with India in their final group match. Pakistan, on the other hand, is gearing up to take on Sri Lanka. All these teams will be keen on adding another win to pave the path for a semifinal berth.