Pakistan were left scratching their heads after South Africa prevailed in a humdinger of a contest at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday. Keshav Maharaj stole the limelight after a gritty effort from both teams that produced probably the first thriller of the World Cup 2023. There were moments of brilliance from both sides and the Pakistan speedsters left no stone unturned to down the Proteas. However, it was not to be their day as South Africa won by a wicket.
There was one big moment in the game which if could have gone Pakistan's way, they would have won the match. An LBW decision in a tense situation in the 46th over has taken rife on social media. The incident occurred on the final delivery of Haris Rauf's last over when Tabraiz Shamsi survived an LBW review on the umpire's call. Pakistan needed one wicket to win and Rauf's inducker hit Shamsi's pads. It looked very close but the on-field umpire gave it not-out. Sensing the magnitude of the situation, captain Babar Azam went for a review. However, when it came down to ball-tracking, the umpire's call on ball-hitting saved the day for Shamsi and South Africa.
Babar has now opened up on the heated call. He looked to digest the decision saying it is part of the game. "The fast bowlers and spinners fought well but unfortunately it was not to be. It is part of the game, in DRS it is part of the game. Had he given it out, it would have favoured us," Babar said after the match.
Haris Rauf went down in haunches after the team saw the DRS call on the giant screen. South Africa had just enough fule left in the tank as the last pair of Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi stitched a 11-run stand for the final wicket. The Proteas needed exactly 11 runs when the 9th wicket fell in the form of Lungi Ngidi. However, they kept crawling to eventually win by a wicket in the 48th over.
