Pakistan's hopes of making it to the semi-finals of the ongoing ODI World Cup have become much more complicated as a result of their latest defeat.
The Babar Azam-led team found it difficult to get going while they were batting first since they were losing wickets frequently.
Leading from the front, Babar scored a half-century, but the skipper was dismissed as soon as he reached the milestone. Even though Saud Shakeel and Shadab Khan contributed effectively towards the finish to assist the team get 270 runs, it was insufficient.
Quinton de Kock got off to a quick start in the chase, scoring 19 runs in Shaheen Shah Afridi's opening over. The stumper-batter, however, was unable to capitalize and was dismissed early. Aiden Markram proved his mettle by hitting 91 runs to secure victory for South Africa. The game was wide open after his dismissal, which added to the drama, but the Proteas prevailed to guarantee their place in the top four.
Brief scores: Pakistan 270 in 46.4 overs (Saud Shakeel 52, Babar Azam 50; Tabraiz Shamsi 4-60, Marco Jansen 3-43) lost to South Africa 271/9 in 47.2 overs (Aiden Markram 91; Shaheen Afridi 3-45, Usama Mir 2-45) by one wicket