2010 ICC World Twenty20 Super Eights: Pak Defiance Means South Africa are Eliminated

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Sreelata YellamrazuMay 10 2010

"Green Lips" (as christened by the media) Umar Akmal proved to be a thorn in the flesh for the green eyed South Africans who were eliminated out of the 2010 ICC World Twenty20.

umar akmal green lips

The Super Eights clash between Pakistan and South Africa was of vital importance at the Beausejour Stadium in St. Lucia. A win here would give either team an outside chance of making it to the semi final.

The see saw match first saw South Africa in command before it was brutally wrested from them by some fearless batting. Thereafter, Pakistan took combat to the South Africans who once again followed a rigid pattern that led to their downfall.

Charl Langeveldt picked up four wickets but by then the horse that was thought to be have been firmly in the stables had bolted. Indeed, South Africa thought they were in control when they had Pakistan on the ropes at three down for eighteen in the fifth over.

But once Umar Akmal joined elder brother, Kamran Akmal, the sparks began to fly and what followed next was demoralizing for South Africa. The senior Akmal began to cut loose but it was the younger Akmal who really hurt the South Africans, particularly in the eleventh over when he hit Roelof van der Merwe for three sixes.

Kamran got out for thirty-seven while Umar played for a half century off only thirty-three balls, this time partnered by the Pakistan captain, Shahid Afridi, who finally came good with a cameo knock of thirty runs himself. Pakistan edged up to 148, a few too many runs for South Africa's liking.

Then the South African batting once again scripted a familiar tale as their openers struggled - Herschelle Gibbs did not last and Graeme smith continued to scratch, Jacques Kallis waited for an innings that did not materialize, all the while pushing the run rate up to the ten runs per over mark.

Ab de Villiers essentially played an innings in anger, his outburst at getting to the half century letting loose emotions seldom seen. But it was too little effort too late by that time. Needing thirty-one runs from the final two overs, South Africa had Johan Botha showing how the Pakistan bowlers could have been negotiated, but there was no time as South Africa lost the match by a painful margin of eleven runs, the equivalent of a decent over in Twenty20 cricket, leaving behind an incomplete job at 137 as Saeed Ajmal's spin efforts paid dividends with four wickets in the kitty.

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