Pre-match, Captain Temba Bavuma stated that they’ve come a long way and plan to keep taking it day-by-day saying; “Five games ago, we weren't probably seen as the favourites, but now, there's a lot more positivity around the Proteas and the South African team. It’s an old cliché, but we're trying to take it day-by-day and keep enjoying our processes.”

Friday’s game against Pakistan was no different and with their increased confidence in their world cup campaign they managed to edge Pakistan's 270 all out with a 271/9 winning score.

Wickets fell early for Pakistan as they took to the bat first leading to dismissal in 46.4 overs. Marco Jansen claimed the wickets of both openers, removing Abdullah Shafique (9) and Imam-ul-Haq (12) before finishing with 3-43 from nine overs. 

South Africa rattled Pakistan’s innings as they continued to take wickets leaving only two batsman to reach half a century with Mohammed Azam batting 50 out and Saud Shakeel being bowled out at 52.

The Proteas were on the edge as their wickets also fell fast. Markram shone on the bat as he claimed 91 runs before being bowled out by Mohammed Azam. His 91 consisted of 7 4s and 3 6’s.

After the 8th wicket fell at 250, it was up to Lungi Ngisi and Keshav Maharaj to make the difference. 

Keshav Maharaj brought it home as he fought hard through the nail-biting moments leading up to the win. He kept his nerve and hit the winning runs to seal the one-wicket victory with 16 balls to spare. Maharaj scored 7 runs not out, taking the team just off the necessary edge to secure the win. 

SOUTH AFRICA: Quinton de Kock (wkt), Temba Bavuma (captain), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lungi Ngidi

PAKISTAN: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wkt), Saud Shakeel, Shadab Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf