ICC World T20: Pakistan vs South Africa - As it happened...

Live updates of the Super Eight match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2012 between Pakistan and South Africa.

Zeenews Sports Bureau

SCORECARD» | COMMENTARY» WT20 in PICS» Pakistan innings Over: 19.3 I Score: 136/8 Pakistan win by 2 wickets. Under tremendous pressure, Umar Akmal hits the first ball of the last over for a six off Morne Morkel. He then takes a single in the next ball. Saeed Ajmal edged the third ball for a four to give Pakistan a thrilling win. Akmal remains unbeaten on 43 off 41 balls. ......................................................................................... Over: 19 I Score: 125/8 Umar Gul finally goes but not before taking Pakistan out of the woods. Gul played a blinder. He makes 32 off 17 balls. But Steyn gives just 6 runs in the penultimate over. 9 needed off the 6 balls. ......................................................................................... Over: 18 I Score: 119/7 Gul hits another four off Morne Morkel. 7 from the over. 15 required from 12 balls. ......................................................................................... Over: 17 I Score: 112/7 Gul continues to find boundaries. He hits one six and a four off Morkel. He keeps Pakistan's hopes alive in this match. 20 runs from this over. ......................................................................................... Over: 16 I Score: 92/7 Umar Gul slams two sixes off Kallis. A huge over for Pakistan. 16 from it. ......................................................................................... Over: 15 I Score: 76/7 Steyn gets rid of Yasir Arafat, courtesy a brilliant catch by Duminy. 3 runs from this excellent over from Steyn. ........................................................................................ Over: 14 I Score: 73/6 Umar Akmal hits one off Petersen over extra cover for a four. He is the only hope Pakistan have now. 7 runs from the over. ......................................................................................... Over: 13 I Score: 66/6 Afridi, the batsman, again let Pakistan down. He comes at a time when caution was the need of the hour but he stepped out off the first ball he faced only to be caught at long-off for a duck. 3 runs from this over. ......................................................................................... Over: 13 I Score: 63/5 Kallis introduced into the attack and he strikes immediately, picking up Shoaib Malik for 12 off 26 balls. 6 runs from this over. ......................................................................................... Over: 11 I Score: 57/4 South Africa introduces another spinner. JP Duminy bowls a tight over. Just 2 runs from the over. ......................................................................................... Over: 10 I Score: 55/4 Morne Morkel comes back to bowl the 10th over. 6 runs from it. ......................................................................................... Over: 9 I Score: 49/4 Umar Akmal finally breaks the shackles, hits 2 fours in this over from Botha. Pakistan score 10 runs. ......................................................................................... Over: 8 I Score: 39/4 Another tight over by Petersen. Just 2 from it. ........................................................................................ Over: 7 I Score: 37/4 Pakistan getting the treatment of their own medicine. It's spin that comes back to haunt them. Johan Botha now joins the party, dislodging the off stump of Kamran Akmal with a quicker and straighter delivery. Akmal made just 1. Another maiden by the Proteas, this time it's a wicket maiden. ........................................................................................ Over: 6 I Score: 37/3 Petersen gives some scary moments to both the Pakistani batsman Shoaib Malik and Kamran Akmal. He bowls a maiden. ......................................................................................... Over: 5 I Score: 37/3 6 runs from Albie Morkel's over. They are struggling at 37/3. ......................................................................................... Over: 4 I Score: 31/3 Hafeez starts with a six but Robin Petersen deceives him with his flight. Hafeez goes for 15 off 9 balls. Petersen then outsmarts Nasir Jamshed for a duck. Pakistan in a big trouble. Two wickets in the Petersen's first over. ......................................................................................... Over: 3 I Score: 24/1 Nazir hits another four. This time it is off pace merchant Dale Steyn. Steyn, however, draws the first blood for the South Afria, scalping in-form Nazir in the same over. 4 runs and a wicket in the 3rd over. ......................................................................................... Over: 2 I Score: 20/0 Good over for Pakistan as Imran Nazir hits 2 fours. Overall, Pakistan took 11 runs from this Morkel's over. ......................................................................................... Over: 1 I Score: 9/0 Captain sets the ball rolling! Mohammad Hafeez has begun the chase with two back-to-back boundaries off Dale Steyn’s first over of the innings. Nine runs from it. ......................................................................................... South African Innings Over: 20 I Score: 133/6 Morkel hits a four off Gul. But it's a good last over from the Pakistani pace spearhead. 9 runs from the last over. South Africa settle down for 133/6 in the allotted 20 overs. ......................................................................................... Over: 19 I Score: 124/6 Duminy, the man who is fighting a lone battle against the skillful Pakistani spinners, hits Arafat straight for a six. But like de Villiers, Duminy also got out after making a crucial 48-ball 40. 10 from the over. ......................................................................................... Over: 18 I Score: 114/5 Finally it's real pace attack by Pakistan. Apart from 2 overs by Arafat, Pakistan have not introduced pace attack. Umar Gul comes to bowl the 18th over of the match. De Viliers whacks him over deep mid-wicket for a six in the very first ball. But the bowler got De Villiers in the next ball for 25. 10 runs from the over. ......................................................................................... Over: 17 I Score: 104/4 Relatively good over for South Africa as they scored 11 runs from Ajmal's over. Ajmal ends his quota. It's 4/26 for him. ......................................................................................... Over: 16 I Score: 93/4 De Villiers hist one for as South Africa take 10 runs from this Afridi over. ......................................................................................... Over: 15 I Score: 83/4 Duminy cuts one through the cover area for a four off Ajma. Relatively good over for South Africa. 8 from it. ......................................................................................... Over: 14 I Score: 75/4 5 runs from this over by Afridi. South Africa still struggling at 75/4. ......................................................................................... Over: 13 I Score: 70/4 J P Duminy dances down the track to hit one over deep mid-wicket for a six. But two balls latter Hafeez outfoxed Behardien in the flight to be stumped by Akmal. He made 18. ......................................................................................... Over: 12 I Score: 59/3 Behardien hits a four as South Africa scored 7 runs from Ajmal's over. ......................................................................................... Over: 11 I Score: 52/3 5 runs from Hafeez's over. South Africa struggle at 52/3. ......................................................................................... Over: 10 I Score: 47/3 Farhaan Behardian manages to score a boundary off the last ball of Afridi’s over. Eight runs from it. ......................................................................................... Over: 9 I Score: 39/3 Hafeez bowled another tight over. Only 4 from it. ......................................................................................... Over: 8 I Score: 35/3 No respite for the South African batsmen as another spinner, Shahid Afridi, comes into the attack. Another good over, only 4 runs from it. ......................................................................................... Over: 7 I Score: 31/3 More misery for the Proteas. Skipper Hafeez dismissed the Kallis for 12. Another good over. Just 3 runs from the over. ......................................................................................... Over: 6 I Score: 28/2 South Africa's misery against the spin continues as Richard Levi was bamboozled by the wily spinner Saeed Azmal for just 8 runs. Just 1 run from Ajmal's excellent over. ......................................................................................... Over: 5 I Score: 27/1 Jacques Kallis again shows that why he is the best South African player to play spin as he hit one straight over the Hasan's head for a beautiful six. It's 9 from the over. ......................................................................................... Over: 4 I Score: 18/1 Levi starts the Arafat over by hitting a four through the point region. 9 from this over as South African batsmen try to break the shackle. ......................................................................................... Over: 3 I Score: 9/1 An excellent over by the 20-year-old Raza Hasan. It's a maiden. He has really troubled the South African batsmen so far. ......................................................................................... Over: 2 I Score: 9/1 Amla hits the first boundary of the innings courtesy a miss-fielding at cover. But Amla was dismissed for 6 in the very next ball by Yasir Arafat. 6 runs from the over. ......................................................................................... Over: 1 I Score: 3 Richard Levi and Hashim Amla open the innings for South Africa while Pakistan start with rookie spinner Raza Hasan. A very good over. Hasan just gives away just 3 runs. He also came pretty close to taking a wicket when he defeated Amla with his flight but wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal missed an easy stumping chance. Overall, an eventful start to a great match! ......................................................................................... Toss Report: South African skipper A B de Villiers won the toss and elected to bat first. South Africa included left-arm spinner Robin Peterson in place of all-rounder Faf du Plessis. Pakistan, on the other hand, replaced seamer Sohail Tanvir with spinner Raza Hasan. ......................................................................................... Preview: They have so far maintained a clean slate and there is very little to separate the two teams as South Africa lock horns with Pakistan in what is expected to be a battle of attrition in their ICC World Twenty20 Super Eight match on Friday. Match starts at 3.30 PM (IST) Both teams will be equally confident after their emphatic showings in the group stage of the tournament, and it will be interesting to see who emerges winner at the R Premadasa Stadium stadium. Pakistan, winner of the 2009 edition, won both their group league matches with ease. The match assumes more significance for Pakistan as a win against the Proteas will put them in the perfect frame of mind ahead of the big-ticket encounter with arch-rival India on Sunday. South Africa have been their consistent self in the group stage, but the real tournament starts now, and more so for the Proteas. The shocking 2011 World Cup quarterfinal defeat to New Zealand still fresh in mind, South Africa would once again would look to shed the tag of perennial chokers in ICC tournament, and a win tomorrow will be a positive step in that direction. A look at their performance in the group stage will only add to South Africa`s confidence going into the competitive round. Led by the explosive A B de Villiers, the team hammered neighbours Zimbabwe by 10 wickets to start the tournament in the best possible manner. Teams: South Africa (Playing XI): Richard Levi, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers(w/c), Jean-Paul Duminy, Albie Morkel, Farhaan Behardien, Robin Peterson, Johan Botha, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel Pakistan (Playing XI): Mohammad Hafeez(c), Imran Nazir, Nasir Jamshed, Kamran Akmal(w), Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Yasir Arafat, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Raza Hasan