Twenty20 World Championship 2009

ICC T20 WC 1st Semi Final: Pakistan beat South Africa

Shahid Afridi smashed 51 in 34 balls to propel Pakistan to 149 for four and then took two wickets, bowling his four overs for just 16 runs as South Africa closed on 142 for five as they wrote another unwanted chapter in their history of semi-final losses.

Afridi was simply brilliant, promoted to bat at number three after Shahzaib Hasan fell for a two-ball duck, hitting eight fours, including hitting Johan Botha out of the attack with three in three balls as he built on a superb start given to Pakistan after first Younus Khan had won the toss and chosen to bat and Kamran Akmal crashed 23 in 12 balls.

Steyn had Akmal caught in the third over before Afridi and Shoiab Malik (34) added 67 for the third wicket and it was a relieved South Africa when he departed, caught by AB de Villiers as he tried to hit JP Duminy’s first ball out of the park.

Younus Khan scored an unbeaten 24 in 18 balls while Abdul Razzaq was unbeaten on 12 at the end of the innings.

South Africa set off at a good pace, Jacques Kallis (64) dominating an opening stand of 40 before Graeme Smith was well held by 17-year-old Mohammad Aamer off his own bowling. Having watched Umar Gul miss a chance earlier on, Aamer was in no mood to let anyone else near it and that set up the Afridi show, part two.

He bowled Herschelle Gibbs (5) and de Villiers (1) to leave the match in the balance with South Africa at 50 for three but a half-century stand between Kallis and Duminy, who was unbeaten on 44, kept the Proteas in the game. To a certain degree, it also kept Pakistan in contention, because the runs weren’t coming quickly enough, despite the pair sharing ten fours and two sixes.

Umar Gul played his part, spearing his yorkers in to keep the runs down and it was Saeed Ajmal who grabbed the breakthrough when Kallis, who had just helped smash Fawad Alam for 15 runs in his one over, offered a high catch which was gratefully and skilfully held by Shoaib Malik.

That brought Albie Morkel to the crease, but the task was too much even for him and although Duminy hit Aamer, a bold choice to bowl the final over, for a six over midwicket, the left-armer bounced back and when Morkel was run out by Alam with a direct hit from long-off, it was effectively game over.

Tags: icc, pakistan, South Africa, t20 world cup