Cricket
ESPNcricinfo staff 7y

Pakistan bounce back after fiery bowling display

ICC Champions Trophy, Cricket

Pakistan bowlers, Hasan Ali and Imad Wasim, kept their team's Champions Trophy hopes alive by an impressive display that restricted their opponents South Africa to just 219 and eventually handed Pakistan a 19-run win in yet another rain interrupted encounter at Edgbaston on Wednesday.

South Africa's captain, AB de Villiers, won the toss and opted to bat first on a bowler-friendly surface. The move backfired as a Pakistan team still smarting from their loss to India in their first match, looked to make amends. The seamers, Mohammad Amir and Junaid Khan, pegged South Africa's openers on the backfoot with a fiery display. The seamers might have started well but it was the spinners that hurt the Proteas.

Wasim - brought on inside the first Powerplay - removed Hashim Amla, in the ninth over with his second delivery. Mohammad Hafeez removed his opening partner, Quinton de Kock, five overs later. South Africa had limped to 60 in the first 14 overs. The pressure paid off as Wasim accounted for de Villiers, who slashed the first ball he faced to backward point, to record his first duck in ODIs. Faf du Plessis got off to a start but just as he was settling, he dragged an Ali delivery back on to the stumps.

Ali wrecked South Africa's middle order dismissing JP Duminy and Wayne Parnell off successive deliveries. He finished with figures of 3 for 24, the best bowling figures by a Pakistani in Champions Trophy since 2006, while Wasim claimed figures of 2 for 20. Pakistan's batsmen needed just 4.38 runs from the onset to clinch victory and their batsmen put them on track before rain forced a result in their favour via Duckworth Lewis.

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