South Africa survived a late charge from Pakistan to pull off a thrilling one-wicket win and move closer to the semi-finals of the World Cup on Friday.
Aiden Markram hit a solid 91 and at 206-4 South Africa were well on course to comfortably chase down a 271-run target.
However, it was left to the last pair of Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi to score 11 runs while surviving 11 balls.
Shamsi survived a leg-before appeal that went to umpire’s call off fast bowler Haris Rauf with eight needed before Maharaj hit spinner Mohamed Nawaz to the square-leg boundary to pull off the win in 47.2 overs, sparking wild celebrations in his team’s dressing room.
Maharaj (seven not out) also added 10 runs for the ninth wicket with Lungi Ngidi (four) but Rauf took a stunning catch off his own bowling to send Ngidi back.
The win took South Africa top of the table with 10 points from five wins in six matches.
Pakistan, however, have lost four in succession after opening the tournament with back-to-back wins.
They have four points and will need results to fall in their favour if they are to sneak into the semi-finals.
This was only the seventh one-wicket by a team in all World Cups and second by South Africa.
Left-arm spinner Shamsi took 4-60 in Pakistan’s 270 all out in 46.4 overs with 52 from Saud Shakeel, 50 from skipper Babar Azam and 43 from Shadab Khan.
Markram shone and with a 70-run stand for the fifth wicket with David Miller who scored a 33-ball 29 with two sixes and as many boundaries.
At that moment the Proteas seemed on course for a straightforward win. But late drama unfolded at Chidambaram Stadium as Pakistan fought back as South Africa slipped to 250-8 from 206-4. Shaheen Shah Afridi removed Miller in the 34th over while Rauf had Marco Jansen for 20 three overs later.
Markram hit three sixes and seven boundaries off 93 balls, his fourth fifty in the World Cup, also completing 2,000 ODI runs in his 61st match.
Earlier, it was Shamsi and Jansen who derailed Pakistan’s innings.
The 33-year-old leg-spinner finished with figures of 4-60 while pace bowler Jansen took 3-43 after Pakistan won the toss and batted, looking for a win to revive their World Cup hopes.
Pakistan would have scored fewer runs had Shakeel and Shadab not lifted them with an 84-run stand for the sixth wicket off 71 balls following Azam’s dismissal at 141.
Shadab hit two sixes and three boundaries while Shakeel’s second fifty in the tournament had seven hits to the rope.
It was Jansen who hit Pakistan early with the wickets of openers Abdullah Shafique (nine) and Imam-ul-Haq (12) in the first seven overs.
Azam added 48 runs for the third wicket with Mohamed Rizwan who made 31 with a six and four boundaries.
The skipper added another 43 for the next wicket with Iftikhar Ahmed who scored 21 with a six and a boundary.
Shamsi dismissed Iftikhar caught at long-on and Azam behind the wicket sweeping to derail the innings until Shakeel and Shadab rebuilt.
Fast bowler Gerald Cotzee broke the stand by dismissing all-rounder Shadab in the 40th over while Shamsi sent back Shakeel and Shaheen (two).
Arthur warns against Pakistan ‘witch-hunt’ after WC flop
Pakistan team director Mickey Arthur warned against a “witch-hunt” of his team after their World Cup dream suffered a likely fatal blow on Friday.
They will have to win their remaining three matches and hope other results go their way if they are to sneak into the semi-finals.
“They’re going to be blaming everybody, don’t worry. It’s just the way of the world,” said Arthur.
“It’s really unfair to start a witch-hunt, certainly on (captain) Babar Azam, on ‘Inzi’ (chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq), on our coaches, on the management team.
“What I do know is the boys have tried and the effort of the coaching staff, the effort of the players has been first-class. If they would see that the amount of effort that the players and staff put in, they would be amazed.”
Pakistan, who were ranked as the world’s number top ODI team last month, won their first two games of the tournament.
However, they then slumped to defeats against arch-rivals India, Australia and Afghanistan before going down to the Proteas on Friday.

SCOREBOARD
Pakistan
Abdullah Shafique c Ngidi b Jansen 9
Imam-ul-Haq c Klaasen b Jansen 12
Babar Azam c de Kock b Shamsi 50
Mohamed Rizwan c de Kock b Coetzee 31
Iftikhar Ahmed c Klaasen b Shamsi 21
Saud Shakeel c de Kock b Shamsi 52
Shadab Khan c Maharaj b Coetzee 43
Mohamed Nawaz c Miller b Jansen 24
Shaheen Shah Afridi c Maharaj b Shamsi 2
Mohamed Wasim c de Kock b Ngidi 7
Haris Rauf not out 0
Extras: (b4, nb4, w11) 19
Total: (all out; 46.4 overs) 270
Did not bat: Usama Mir (used as concussion substitute for Shadab Khan in South Africa innings)
Fall of wickets: 1-20 (Shafique), 2-38 (Haq), 3-86 (Rizwan), 4-129 (Iftikhar), 5-141 (Azam), 6-225 (Shadab), 7-240(Shakeel), 8-259 (Shaheen), 9-268 (Nawaz), 10-270 (Wasim)
Bowling: Marco Jansen 9-1-43-3 (2nb, 6w), Ngidi 7.4-0-45-1 (3w), Markram 4-0-20-0, Maharaj 9-0-56-0, Coetzee 7-0-42-2 (1w), Shamsi 10-0-60-4 (2nb, 1w)

South Africa
T. Bavuma c Shakeel b Wasim 28
Q. de Kock c Wasim b Shaheen 24
R. van der Dussen lbw b Mir 21
A. Markram c Azam b Mir 91
H. Klaasen c Mir b Wasim 12
D. Miller c Rizwan b Shaheen 29
M. Jansen c Babar Azam b Haris Rauf 20
G. Coetzee c Rizwan b Shaheen 10
K. Maharaj not out 7
L. Ngidi c and b Rauf 4
T. Shamsi not out 4
Extras: (b1, lb5, w15) 21
Total: (for nine wkts; 47.2 overs) 271
Fall of wickets: 1-34 (De Kock), 2-67 (Bavuma), 3-121 (van der Dussen), 4-136 (Klaasen), 5-206 (Miller), 6-235 (Jansen), 7-250 (Markram), 8-250 (Cotzee), 9-260 (Ngidi)
Bowling: Iftikhar 3-0-23-0 (1w), Shaheen 10-0-45-3 (3w), Nawaz 6.2-0-40-0, Rauf 10-0-62-2 (1w) Wasim 10-1-50-2 (3w), Mir 8-0-45-2 (1w)
Note: Usama Mir used as concussion substitute for Shadab Khan
Result: South Africa won by one wicket
Toss: Pakistan