ICC Men's World Cup: Proteas hold their nerves, beat Pak by 1 wkt in thriller

Chennai: South Africa defeated Pakistan by one wicket in a tense finish to push their Asian rivals to the brink of elimination from the World cup here on Friday.

South Africa bowled out Pakistan for 270 and then returned to overhaul the target, scoring 271 for 9 in 47.2 overs with Aiden Markram top-scoring with a 93-ball 91.

Earlier, opting to bat, Babar managed 50 off 65 deliveries, Shakeel made a run-a-ball 52 but Pakistan couldn't build enough partnerships and also faltered in the back end to be dismissed in 46.4 overs after opting to bat.

Left-arm spinner Tabraiz Shamsi, who was playing only his second game, shone with figures of four for 60, while Marco Jansen (3/43) was superb with the new ball, and Gerald Coetzee (2/42) also snapped two. It all began with a maiden over from Jansen, who accounted for both the openers -- Abdullah Shafique (9) and Imam-ul-Haq (12) as Pakistan slipped to 38 for 2 in the seventh over. It could have been third down for the Pakistan in the same over had Jansen hold on to a caught and bowled chance for Mohammad Rizwan. Rizwan started on an aggressive note, hitting a six off spinner Keshav Maharaj and constructing a 48-run partnership with Babar (50).

Brief Scores:

Pakistan: 270 all out in 46.4 overs (Babar Azam 50, Shakeel scored 52; Tabraiz Shamsi 4/60). South Africa: 271 for 9 in 47.2 overs (Aiden Markram 91, Shaheen Afridi 3/45, Mohammad Wasim Jr 2/50).