It was match number 7 of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 at Edgbaston, Birmingham: the clash between South Africa and Pakistan promised to be a riveting one, with the Pakistani team going into the match after a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Indians and the South Africans confident after a comprehensive win over Sri Lanka on Saturday, 3 June.
South African skipper A B de Villiers decided to bat first after winning the toss. Significant contributions to the score came from Quinton de Kock (33 off 49) Faf du Plessis (26 off 44), David Miller (75 off 104), Chris Morris (28 off 45) and Kagiso Rabada (26 off 23).
It was a modest total of 219. Pakistan’s Hasan Ali wasthe pick of Pakistan's bowlers; having taken three wickets giving away just three runs an over.
Though opener Azhar Ali departed making just 9 runs of 22, Fakhar Zaman playing his first ODI for this country made a quick 31 off 23. Babar Azam (31 off 51) and Mohammed Hafeez (26 off 53) were the other significant contributors.
Rain interrupted and was persistent, causing the match to be abandoned after 27 overs. Pakistan were deemed to have been set the revised target of 101 from 27 overs in accordance with the Duckworth Lewis system and were declared winners. Hassan Ali was declared man of the match.
It has caused two matches to be washed out completely and has required the DLS formula to be applied in at least two more. It has decided more results than actual skill and talent in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017.
India takes on Sri Lanka today in what should be another exciting clash between two traditional rivals from the Indian subcontinent. India comes into the game fresh from a win over Pakistan and in good overall form. India has won 83 of the 149 ODIs played against Sri Lanka overall, and has won 5 out of 6 played in England. Sri Lanka comes into the game as an underdog, but skipper Virat Kohli stressed that his team would not be taking the Lankans lightly.
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