ICC Champions Trophy 2017 – South Africa Vs Pakistan – 5 Turning Points

Nov 2, 2023 at 3:45 PM

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ICC Champions Trophy 2017 – South Africa Vs Pakistan – 5 Turning Points

In hindsight, the prospects of Pakistan defeating an ODI outfit as daunting as South Africa seem vague, but that is what exactly happened in Birmingham. Post their drubbing by India a few days ago, the mood within the Pakistan camp seemed to be low, but the side put on a spirited show in a do or die clash against South Africa at the very same venue.

 

Batting first, South Africa could only manage a paltry 219 on board, thanks to mainly a gritty half century from David Miller. Pakistan’s bowling remained tight and didn’t allow the Proteas batsmen to play freely. In response, Pakistan was 119-3 in 27 overs before the heavens opened up, resulting in Pakistan winning through the D/L method.

 

Below, we have a look at the five turning points for the game.

  1. Introducing spin early:

The move to introduce spin against India with the new ball might not have paid off, but it did against the Proteas. Though it wasn’t the new ball, Imad Wasim came to bowl within the powerplay and that yielded a fruitful result as the dangerman Hashim Amla was sent back to the pavilion. That was a massive wicket for Pakistan as it allowed them to build more pressure. Using Mohammad Hafeez as a spinner too paid off as he did a brilliant job and held up an end along with dismissing Quinton De Kock.

Imad Wasim
Imad Wasim (Photo Source: Twitter)
  1. AB De Villiers getting out on Golden duck:

For South Africa, if Amla fails, then De Villiers has to do well for the side to have any hopes of getting to a big score. That didn’t happen at Birmingham as South Africa’s two major match winners couldn’t get going. After losing a flurry of early wickets, had de Villiers contributed with a decent score, things would have been different and South Africa would have surely got to a better total eventually. However, with the South African captain sent packing for a first ball duck, their woes further compounded and it was up to the relatively new batsmen to take South Africa through.

Mohammad Amir picked up two wickets during the first ODI against Australia at Gabba, Brisbane.
  1. Junaid and Amir turning it on:

The inclusion of pacer Junaid Khan did wonders as he was exceptional against the Proteas. On the other hand, Amir, despite not picking up a wicket, bowled superbly as he didn’t allow the South African batsmen with any width or loose deliveries. The fact that a dangerous batsman like David Miller despite playing more than 100 deliveries couldn’t do any significant damage, speaks volumes about the quality of bowling. The left arm pacers ensured that South Africa was well restricted at the death.

  1. Positive start from Pakistan:

Debutant Fakhar Zaman did an excellent job on his debut as he took Pakistan off to an absolute flier. With the hesitant Azhar Ali shielding one end, Zaman took the responsibility upon himself to ensure that the chase was off to a decent start. He hit a flurry of boundaries against the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Wayne Parnell. It was mainly due to his rapid start in the middle, that the middle order could take their time to settle and play a few maiden overs.

Shoaib Malik
  1. Shoaib Malik brief cameo:

When Shoaib Malik came into the centre, Pakistan was still in a spot of bother. Babar Azam and Mohammad Hafeez had eaten up several deliveries and all the good work from Fakhar Zaman at the top of the order seemed to be undone, thanks to the laid back approach of the two. With the run too pouring down, it was essential for Pakistan to get past the DL par score. They just about managed to do it, thanks to a brief unbeaten cameo of 16 off 14 deliveries from Malik, which included three crucial boundaries.

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