CHENNAI, India, October 27, 2023: South Africa needed 21 runs.
Four wickets remained.
Aiden Markram had made 91.
Pakistan looked finished.
Then Markram fell.
Gerald Coetzee followed without adding another run.
Shaheen Shah Afridi had three wickets.
Haris Rauf produced a spectacular return catch to remove Lungi Ngidi.
South Africa were suddenly 260/9.
Eleven runs still needed.
One wicket left.
Pakistan had somehow turned a chase that appeared under control into another World Cup examination of nerve.
Then Tabraiz Shamsi survived Haris Rauf’s final delivery by the width of an umpire’s call.
Keshav Maharaj survived.
Shamsi survived.
Pakistan’s fast bowlers completed their quotas.
Babar Azam had to return to spin.
Maharaj finally swept Mohammad Nawaz behind square for four.
South Africa 271/9.
Victory by one wicket.
Pakistan players stood frozen after coming within one dismissal of one of the great World Cup recoveries.
South Africa celebrated a victory that had looked routine at 206/4, uncomfortable at 250/6, dangerous at 250/8 and almost impossible at 260/9.
That is why this match is No. 40 in A Celebration of 5000 ODIs.
The one-wicket margin is dramatic enough.
What makes the match unforgettable is how many times South Africa appeared to have won it before Pakistan forced them to win it again.
TL;DR
- Pakistan won the toss and batted first.
- Pakistan were bowled out for 270 in 46.4 overs.
- Babar Azam made 50 from 65 balls.
- Saud Shakeel scored 52 from 52.
- Shadab Khan made 43 from 36.
- Shakeel and Shadab added 84 for the sixth wicket.
- Tabraiz Shamsi took 4/60 and was named Player of the Match.
- Marco Jansen took 3/43.
- Aiden Markram top-scored for South Africa with 91 from 93 balls.
- South Africa reached 206/4 and appeared in control.
- Pakistan fought back through Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and concussion substitute Usama Mir.
- South Africa slipped from 250/6 to 250/8.
- Haris Rauf caught Lungi Ngidi off his own bowling to make it 260/9.
- Shamsi survived an lbw review on umpire’s call.
- Keshav Maharaj finished unbeaten on 7.
- Shamsi finished unbeaten on 4.
- Maharaj hit the winning four off Mohammad Nawaz.
- South Africa reached 271/9 in 47.2 overs.
- South Africa won by one wicket.
- Pakistan suffered a fourth consecutive defeat and saw their semifinal hopes become extremely difficult.
Pakistan vs South Africa 2023 World Cup: Match at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Competition | ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 |
| Match | 26th Match |
| Date | October 27, 2023 |
| Venue | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
| Toss | Pakistan won and batted |
| Pakistan | 270 all out in 46.4 overs |
| South Africa | 271/9 in 47.2 overs |
| Result | South Africa won by one wicket |
| Balls remaining | 16 |
| Player of the Match | Tabraiz Shamsi |
| Pakistan top scorer | Saud Shakeel, 52 |
| South Africa top scorer | Aiden Markram, 91 |
| Best South Africa bowling | Tabraiz Shamsi, 4/60 |
| Best Pakistan bowling | Shaheen Shah Afridi, 3/45 |
| Key Pakistan partnership | Saud Shakeel and Shadab Khan, 84 |
| South Africa late collapse | 250/6 to 260/9 |
| Final pair | Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi |
| Decisive moment | Shamsi survives Haris Rauf lbw review on umpire’s call |
| Winning shot | Maharaj four off Mohammad Nawaz |
Why Match 40 Belongs in A Celebration of 5000 ODIs
The A Celebration of 5000 ODIs main series includes matches that show exactly why ODI cricket can remain unpredictable deep into a contest.
This one is almost a perfect example.
South Africa spent much of the chase in control.
Then Pakistan spent the closing overs threatening to steal it.
At 206/4, the Proteas needed only 65 runs with six wickets available.
At 235/6, they still had breathing room.
At 250/6, only 21 remained.
Then Markram fell.
Coetzee followed immediately.
Ngidi was caught spectacularly by Rauf.
Suddenly Pakistan needed one wicket.
That reversal is what makes this match worthy of inclusion.
The scoreboard did not merely tighten.
The emotional ownership of the contest completely changed.
South Africa went from chasing runs to surviving balls.
Pakistan went from defending a modest total to hunting one last wicket.
Marco Jansen Strikes Before Pakistan Can Settle
Pakistan’s innings began badly.
Marco Jansen removed Abdullah Shafique for nine.
Then Imam-ul-Haq for 12.
Pakistan were 38/2.
That early damage mattered because it prevented the top order from establishing the platform Pakistan needed on a Chennai surface where spin would become increasingly influential.
Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan repaired the innings.
But South Africa had already forced Pakistan into rebuilding mode.
Babar Azam Reaches 50 but Cannot Bat Deep Enough
Babar made 50 from 65 balls.
Four fours.
One six.
His innings gave Pakistan stability after the loss of both openers.
The problem was that Pakistan needed their captain to continue well beyond fifty.
Instead, Shamsi found the breakthrough immediately after Babar reached the landmark.
Pakistan were 141/5.
A useful recovery had again become vulnerable.
Player of the Match Tabraiz Shamsi Controls Pakistan’s Middle Overs
Shamsi finished with:
10 overs
60 runs
4 wickets
His victims included Babar Azam, Iftikhar Ahmed, Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
The identities of those wickets explain the value of the spell.
He removed Pakistan’s captain.
He removed a middle-order power hitter.
He dismissed Pakistan’s top scorer.
Then he broke into the tail.
South Africa were without one of their leading fast bowlers, so their spin attack needed to influence the match.
Shamsi delivered.
He would later contribute again in an even more unexpected role.
With the bat.
Saud Shakeel and Shadab Khan Rescue Pakistan From 141/5
Pakistan were in danger of wasting the innings after Babar fell.
Shakeel and Shadab changed its direction.
Their sixth-wicket partnership added 84 runs.
Shakeel scored 52 from 52 balls.
Shadab made 43 from 36.
Their methods complemented each other.
Shakeel manipulated the slower bowlers.
Shadab attacked more aggressively.
Pakistan moved from 141/5 to 225/5.
For the first time since the opening overs, Pakistan looked capable of producing a total that could challenge South Africa.
Saud Shakeel Gives Pakistan the Tempo They Need
Shakeel’s half-century came at exactly a run a ball.
Seven fours.
No sixes.
His value came from maintaining movement in an innings that had repeatedly threatened to stall.
Babar’s 50 had stabilized Pakistan.
Shakeel pushed them forward.
His dismissal at 240/7 removed Pakistan’s last established batter.
From there, the lower order could not stretch the innings deep enough.
Shadab Khan Attacks Before a Concussion Ends His Match
Shadab’s 43 came from only 36 deliveries.
Three fours.
Two sixes.
He gave Pakistan urgency when they desperately needed it.
Later, while fielding, Shadab suffered a concussion and could not continue.
Usama Mir entered as his concussion substitute.
That substitution would become one of the match’s most important developments.
Mir later dismissed Rassie van der Dussen.
Then he removed Markram for 91.
Pakistan lost one all-rounder.
His replacement almost won them the match.
Pakistan Leave 20 Deliveries Unused
Pakistan reached 225/5.
They had an opportunity to move close to 290.
Instead, the final five wickets added only 45.
Shadab fell.
Shakeel followed.
Shaheen made two.
Mohammad Nawaz contributed 24 but could not take the innings through the final overs.
Pakistan were dismissed after 46.4 overs.
Twenty deliveries remained unused.
At the time, that looked unfortunate.
By the end, it looked costly.
South Africa won with 16 deliveries remaining.
Pakistan did not need another 50.
Even another 10 could have changed the pressure of the final passage.
South Africa Start the Chase Aggressively
Quinton de Kock attacked immediately.
He raced to 24 from 14 balls.
Shaheen then removed him.
South Africa 34/1.
Temba Bavuma continued positively and made 28 from 27.
Mohammad Wasim Jr dismissed him.
South Africa were 67/2.
Pakistan had wickets.
South Africa still controlled the required rate.
That distinction mattered.
The Proteas never really faced a run-rate crisis.
Their problem became survival.
Aiden Markram Takes Control of the Chase
Markram made:
91 runs
93 balls
7 fours
3 sixes
Strike rate: 97.85
He did almost everything needed to finish the chase.
He rebuilt after the openers fell.
He absorbed pressure.
He accelerated when Pakistan tried to tighten the field.
He worked through partnerships with Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller and Marco Jansen.
At 206/4, South Africa needed only 65.
Markram was set.
Pakistan looked close to elimination from the contest.
Then wickets began to arrive.
Aiden Markram Falls Nine Runs Short of Finishing It Himself
Markram had taken South Africa to within sight of victory.
Miller fell for 29.
Jansen made 20 before Rauf removed him.
Still Markram remained.
South Africa reached 250/6.
Only 21 required.
Then Markram attacked Usama Mir.
Babar took the catch.
Markram was gone for 91.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
A routine finish became a lower-order examination.
Usama Mir Turns a Concussion Substitution Into a Major Storyline
Mir had not been part of Pakistan’s starting XI.
He entered because Shadab could no longer continue.
He finished with:
8 overs
45 runs
2 wickets
The first was Rassie van der Dussen.
The second was Markram.
That wicket reopened the entire match.
Mir’s contribution makes this contest even more unusual.
A player introduced under cricket’s concussion protocol ended up dismissing the opposition’s dominant batter at the precise moment Pakistan needed a breakthrough.
Shaheen Shah Afridi Strikes Again at 250
Markram fell at 250/7.
Gerald Coetzee arrived.
He did not move the score.
Shaheen removed him for 10.
South Africa were 250/8.
Twenty-one still required.
Pakistan suddenly had two wickets between them and an extraordinary victory.
Shaheen finished with 3/45.
His wickets were de Kock, Miller and Coetzee.
Each came in a different phase of the chase.
The final one transformed pressure into panic.
Shaheen Gives Pakistan One Last Route Back
Pakistan’s World Cup campaign was already in trouble.
They entered Chennai after three consecutive defeats.
Another loss would make semifinal qualification extremely difficult.
Shaheen kept them alive.
His spell gave Pakistan enough wickets to keep attacking.
Without his three breakthroughs, the final pair never matters.
Without his control, Markram probably completes the chase himself.
Keshav Maharaj Understands Exactly What South Africa Need
Maharaj walked in at 250/8.
South Africa needed 21.
He scored only seven from 21 balls.
One boundary.
The figures look insignificant.
His innings was anything but.
South Africa did not have a run-rate problem.
They had a wicket problem.
Maharaj understood that immediately.
He defended.
He left.
He waited.
He refused to create unnecessary risk.
The longer he stayed, the closer Pakistan came to exhausting their fast bowlers.
That became decisive.
Haris Rauf’s Return Catch Makes It 260/9
Lungi Ngidi and Maharaj pushed South Africa to 260.
Then Rauf produced one of the match’s best individual moments.
Ngidi chipped the ball back toward him.
Rauf reacted instantly and completed a diving return catch.
South Africa 260/9.
Eleven required.
One wicket left.
Shamsi walked out.
Pakistan’s fielders suddenly looked as though they believed history was about to turn.
Tabraiz Shamsi Becomes the Batter Pakistan Cannot Dismiss
Shamsi had already taken four wickets.
Now he needed to survive.
He finished unbeaten on 4 from six balls.
Every delivery mattered.
Every defensive stroke extended South Africa’s life.
Every single returned Maharaj to strike.
Then came the delivery that Pakistan would replay repeatedly.
Shamsi Survives the Haris Rauf Review on Umpire’s Call
Rauf bowled the final delivery of his spell.
Shamsi missed.
The ball hit the pad.
Pakistan appealed.
Not out.
Babar reviewed.
There was no inside edge.
Ball tracking showed the delivery clipping leg stump.
But not enough of the ball was hitting to overturn the original decision.
Umpire’s call.
Shamsi survived.
The reaction said everything.
Pakistan knew how close they had come.
Had the original on-field decision been out, ball tracking would not have overturned it.
Instead, because the original call was not out, the decision remained not out.
The review became inseparable from the story of the match.
Pakistan Run Out of Fast-Bowling Overs
This was the hidden tactical consequence.
Shaheen had completed his quota.
Rauf finished his 10 overs with the Shamsi review.
Mohammad Wasim Jr then completed his spell.
South Africa survived.
Pakistan now had to return to spin.
That was exactly what Maharaj had been waiting for.
Keshav Maharaj Finds the Boundary
Shamsi took a single from Nawaz.
Maharaj now had strike.
Four required.
Nawaz bowled toward his pads.
Maharaj swept.
The ball raced behind square.
Four.
South Africa had survived.
Maharaj celebrated.
His teammates charged toward him.
Pakistan stood still.
The scoreboard read:
Pakistan 270
South Africa 271/9
One wicket.
Sixteen balls remaining.
A result that had looked straightforward became one of the tightest finishes of the 2023 World Cup.
Complete Match Scorecard
Pakistan Batting: 270 All Out in 46.4 Overs
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abdullah Shafique | c Lungi Ngidi b Marco Jansen | 9 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 52.94 |
| Imam-ul-Haq | c Heinrich Klaasen b Marco Jansen | 12 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 66.67 |
| Babar Azam (c) | c Quinton de Kock b Tabraiz Shamsi | 50 | 65 | 4 | 1 | 76.92 |
| Mohammad Rizwan (wk) | c Quinton de Kock b Gerald Coetzee | 31 | 27 | 4 | 1 | 114.81 |
| Iftikhar Ahmed | c Heinrich Klaasen b Tabraiz Shamsi | 21 | 31 | 1 | 1 | 67.74 |
| Saud Shakeel | c Quinton de Kock b Tabraiz Shamsi | 52 | 52 | 7 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Shadab Khan | c Keshav Maharaj b Gerald Coetzee | 43 | 36 | 3 | 2 | 119.44 |
| Mohammad Nawaz | c David Miller b Marco Jansen | 24 | 24 | 1 | 2 | 100.00 |
| Shaheen Shah Afridi | c Keshav Maharaj b Tabraiz Shamsi | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Mohammad Wasim Jr | c Quinton de Kock b Lungi Ngidi | 7 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 77.78 |
| Haris Rauf | not out | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Extras: 19
Total: 270 all out in 46.4 overs
Run rate: 5.79
Fall of wickets: 20/1, 38/2, 86/3, 129/4, 141/5, 225/6, 240/7, 259/8, 268/9, 270/10.
South Africa Bowling
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marco Jansen | 9 | 1 | 43 | 3 | 4.78 |
| Lungi Ngidi | 7.4 | 0 | 45 | 1 | 5.87 |
| Aiden Markram | 4 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 5.00 |
| Keshav Maharaj | 9 | 0 | 56 | 0 | 6.22 |
| Gerald Coetzee | 7 | 0 | 42 | 2 | 6.00 |
| Tabraiz Shamsi | 10 | 0 | 60 | 4 | 6.00 |
South Africa Batting: 271/9 in 47.2 Overs
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temba Bavuma (c) | c Saud Shakeel b Mohammad Wasim Jr | 28 | 27 | 4 | 1 | 103.70 |
| Quinton de Kock (wk) | c Mohammad Wasim Jr b Shaheen Shah Afridi | 24 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 171.43 |
| Rassie van der Dussen | lbw b Usama Mir | 21 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 53.85 |
| Aiden Markram | c Babar Azam b Usama Mir | 91 | 93 | 7 | 3 | 97.85 |
| Heinrich Klaasen | c Usama Mir b Mohammad Wasim Jr | 12 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 120.00 |
| David Miller | c Mohammad Rizwan b Shaheen Shah Afridi | 29 | 33 | 2 | 2 | 87.88 |
| Marco Jansen | c Babar Azam b Haris Rauf | 20 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 142.86 |
| Gerald Coetzee | c Mohammad Rizwan b Shaheen Shah Afridi | 10 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 76.92 |
| Keshav Maharaj | not out | 7 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Lungi Ngidi | c & b Haris Rauf | 4 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 28.57 |
| Tabraiz Shamsi | not out | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 |
Extras: 21
Total: 271/9 in 47.2 overs
Run rate: 5.73
Fall of wickets: 34/1, 67/2, 121/3, 136/4, 206/5, 235/6, 250/7, 250/8, 260/9.
Pakistan Bowling
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iftikhar Ahmed | 3 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 7.67 |
| Shaheen Shah Afridi | 10 | 0 | 45 | 3 | 4.50 |
| Mohammad Nawaz | 6.2 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 6.32 |
| Haris Rauf | 10 | 0 | 62 | 2 | 6.20 |
| Mohammad Wasim Jr | 10 | 1 | 50 | 2 | 5.00 |
| Usama Mir | 8 | 0 | 45 | 2 | 5.63 |
Eight Turning Points That Decided the Match
1. Jansen Reduces Pakistan to 38/2
Both openers disappeared early.
Pakistan had to spend the first half of their innings repairing damage.
2. Shamsi Removes Babar at 141/5
Pakistan’s captain had reached fifty.
His dismissal prevented him from turning the innings into something larger.
3. Shakeel and Shadab Add 84
Pakistan moved from trouble to a position where 280-plus looked possible.
Their partnership created the total Pakistan later nearly defended.
4. Pakistan Are Bowled Out With 20 Balls Remaining
Those unused deliveries became increasingly painful as the match tightened.
5. Markram Takes South Africa to 250
The chase looked almost over.
Only 21 were needed.
Pakistan then transformed the match.
6. Markram and Coetzee Fall Without Another Run
Usama Mir removed Markram.
Shaheen removed Coetzee.
South Africa went from comfortable to vulnerable immediately.
7. Rauf Takes an Extraordinary Return Catch
Ngidi’s wicket made it 260/9.
Pakistan were one wicket from victory.
8. Shamsi Survives Umpire’s Call
Pakistan’s last review could not overturn the not-out decision.
Shamsi stayed.
Maharaj eventually finished the chase.
Why Pakistan Lost After Getting So Close
The lbw review will always dominate memories of the finish.
But Pakistan’s defeat cannot be reduced to that ball.
They were bowled out with 20 deliveries unused.
They conceded too many extras.
South Africa reached 206/4 before Pakistan began their final comeback.
Markram was allowed to bat deep enough to make 91.
And once Shaheen, Rauf and Wasim completed their overs, Pakistan no longer had a fast bowler available to attack the last pair.
The review mattered enormously.
It did not create the entire defeat.
Why South Africa Almost Lost a Chase They Controlled
South Africa’s biggest problem was finishing.
At 206/4, they held the match.
At 235/6, they still held it.
At 250/6, they were 21 runs away.
Then the tension changed their batting.
Markram fell.
Coetzee went immediately.
Ngidi eventually followed.
The lower order began playing the consequences rather than the target.
Maharaj’s contribution was so valuable because he simplified the problem again.
No heroics.
No rushed boundary hunting.
Stay in.
Allow the overs to disappear.
Wait for the right bowler.
Pakistan and South Africa Produce Another World Cup Thriller
These teams already have history in this series.
In 2015, Pakistan defended 222 under revised conditions as South Africa’s chase collapsed despite AB de Villiers’ resistance.
That match is revisited in Match 30: Sarfaraz’s Six Catches Help Pakistan Survive De Villiers’ Defiance.
Eight years later, the tension returned.
The difference was the ending.
Pakistan had the last chance.
South Africa survived it.
Pakistan Had Suffered This Kind of World Cup Heartbreak Before
The historical echo reaches all the way back to the first World Cup.
In 1975, Pakistan reduced West Indies to nine wickets down while defending 266.
Deryck Murray and Andy Roberts then produced a remarkable last-wicket partnership and stole victory.
That contest opens this series in Match 1: West Indies Escape Pakistan’s Grip in the 1975 World Cup.
Forty-eight years later, Pakistan again needed one wicket.
Again, the final pair denied them.
That historical parallel is one of the strongest reasons Match 40 belongs in this collection.
South Africa’s World Cup Pressure History Makes the Escape Even Bigger
South Africa have carried decades of painful World Cup finishes.
Brian Lara ended their perfect 1996 run in Match 13.
Grant Elliott eliminated them in the 2015 semifinal in Match 29.
Kane Williamson frustrated them again in 2019 in Match 35.
Chennai began to resemble another entry in that history.
South Africa were one wicket from another collapse.
Maharaj and Shamsi stopped it.
Chennai Produces Another World Cup Finish Built on Nerves
The venue had already witnessed one of the great World Cup finishes.
In 1987, Australia defeated India by one run after a chase reached the final two balls.
That match appears in Match 6: Australia Beat India by One Run After Chennai Chase Turns Into Final-Over Agony.
Thirty-six years later, Chennai produced another match in which the final result remained unresolved until almost everyone expected it to have finished.
Different teams.
Different era.
Same tension.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Pakistan vs South Africa in the 2023 World Cup?
South Africa won by one wicket after reaching 271/9 in 47.2 overs. Pakistan had scored 270.
Who was Player of the Match?
Tabraiz Shamsi was named Player of the Match after taking 4/60.
Who was South Africa’s top scorer?
Aiden Markram made 91 from 93 deliveries.
Who hit the winning runs?
Keshav Maharaj hit the winning boundary off Mohammad Nawaz.
What happened with the Shamsi lbw review?
Pakistan reviewed a not-out lbw decision against Shamsi. Ball tracking showed the delivery clipping leg stump, so the original decision remained under umpire’s call.
Who were Pakistan’s best bowlers?
Shaheen Shah Afridi took 3/45. Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jr and Usama Mir took two wickets each.
Why did Usama Mir enter the match?
He came in as a concussion substitute after Shadab Khan could not continue.
What was South Africa’s late collapse?
South Africa moved from 250/6 to 260/9 before Maharaj and Shamsi completed the chase.
Why is this match included in A Celebration of 5000 ODIs?
South Africa appeared close to victory before Pakistan reduced them to their final wicket. Shamsi survived the critical umpire’s-call review and Maharaj eventually struck the winning boundary in a one-wicket escape.