Key Features –
1. What a comeback for Haris Sohail in this tournament after sitting out on the bench for the last 5 games. He scored an amazing knock of 89(59) before being a victim to Lungi Ngidi.
2. Babar Azam yet again showing his consistency in this tournament by scoring a 69(80).
3. Lungi Ngidi was the pick of the bowlers from South Africa bowling a spell of 3/64(9). To support him was the beautiful spell of bowling by Imran Tahir 2/41(10).
4. A good start by Imam Ul Haq and Fakhar Zaman laying a strong foundation for the rest of the batters to join them in taking the total to a 307. They scored 44 each.
5. Faf Du Plessis was the only half-centurion from the South African batting lineup scoring a 63(79). He was supported by Dussen, De Kock, Phehlukwayo and Miller who all scored in 30s or 40s.
6. The pick of the bowlers for Pakistan were Wahab Riaz and Shadab Khan who ensured that they defend 307 comfortably against the Proteas. They bowled a spell of 3/46(10) and 3/50(10) respectively.
Post-Match Analysis –
1. Even though there is a slight outside chance for Pakistan to qualify after today’s victory, the Proteas are officially the third team to be eliminated from the ICC World Cup 2019 after Afghanistan and West Indies.
2. Lungi Ngidi’s spell today surely was a positive for all the teams who played against them during his injury giving SA no chance to win matches except for the one against Afghanistan.
3. South Africa just have to play Sri Lanka and Australia now in their next two respective matches, with just 3 points in 7 games for them. They are positioned at the 9th place on the points table with 1 win, 1 N/R and 5 losses.
4. On the contrary, Pakistan have finally managed to get their second win after a victory against the hosts, England. Though they are still in the hunt for the playoffs, but looking at the position of the other teams, their chances look slim, since they have the worst NRR if compared to the teams placed above them.
5. Pakistan are positioned at the 7th place on the points table with 5 points in 6 games, equivalent to that of Bangladesh but below them due to the NRR. Pakistan play New Zealand next which apparently is a do or die match for them but a no-pressure game for the Kiwis.
Up Next –
Bangladesh vs Afghanistan
It’s Shakib Al Hasan vs Mohammad Nabi! Two of the best all rounders in the world take on each other with one team completely out of the tournament without a single point in 6 games with the other still fighting it out to be in the top 4.
For Bangladesh, it’s a must-win encounter and they surely would give their all in just like they did against both Windies and the Aussies. They surely are the favourites for tomorrow’s battle and should have the upper hand even though Afghanistan’s game against India yesterday might be a wakeup call for the Tigers to play well and not take them lightly.
Afghanistan have no pressure and have been trying different combinations of their batting order and won’t be a surprise if they bring Shenwari in for anyone at all. Also, a no-pressure game means a tough fight to Bangladesh tomorrow since they can play their natural games which almost won them the game against India a few matches ago.
Probable XIs –
BAN – Tamim, Sarkar, Shakib, Mushfiqur, Liton, Shabbir, Mahmudullah, Mortaza, Mustafizur, Mehidy, Saifuddin/Rubel
AFG – Naib, Zazai, Rahmat, Shahidi, Najibullah, Shenwari, Nabi, Rashid, Aftab, Hamid, Mujeeb
Possible Replacements –
1. Bangladesh are expected to go with the same XI which lined up against Australia unless Mohammad Saifuddin and Mosaddek Hossain have recovered from their injuries. If they have, they’ll replace Rubel and Shabbir respectively.
2. Afghanistan can make any changes and Shenwari might get a chance to play since he has been on the bench ever since the tournament started. I presume Afghan would have to sit out but anyone can knowing they can experiment with their 15 now. Hamid Hassan also might get a chance to play again.
Analysis of various cricket matches 