Pakistan sneak into semis courtesy England

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GROS ISLET, Saint Lucia: Defending champions Pakistan beat South Africa by 11 runs to knock the Proteas out of the World Twenty20 and will thank England who beat New Zealand to make sure Pakistan, incredibly, got its semi-final berth.



England defeated New Zealand by three wickets and although Pakistan, New Zealand and South Africa had two points each in Group E, Pakistan went through to the semi-finals on a better run-rate. England are the other side to have qualified for the last-four stage.



Earlier, in a must-win game for both sides, Pakistan were in dire straits at 18 for three against South Africa but made 148 for seven thanks mainly to man-of-the-match Umar Akmal’s 51.



South Africa, chasing a relatively modest target, were then held to 137 for seven with spin, primarily off-break bowler Saeed Ajmal (four wickets for 26 runs), proving their undoing.



The Proteas slumped to 68 for four and despite a fifty from AB de Villiers couldn’t break the Pakistan slow bowlers’ stranglehold.



Pakistan had an early wicket when Herschelle Gibbs (three) was caught at mid-on by Misbah-ul-Haq off all-rounder Abdul Razzaq.



It looked as if the batsman was early on the shot, undone by the slower pace of a Beausejour pitch slower than the one South Africa had grown used to in Barbados.



South Africa were now 12 for one and that became 23 for two when captain Graeme Smith chipped spinner Abdur Rehman to rival skipper Shahid Afridi at mid-off.



Jacques Kallis was caught in the deep off Ajmal for 22 and Rehman struck again to get rid of JP Duminy after Umar Akmal, running in from long-on, took a fine catch.



De Villiers though was still there.



But his 53 off 41 balls came to an end when he tried to play an audacious scoop shot off Ajmal and skied a simple catch to wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal to leave the Proteas 101 for five.



South Africa, who needed 51 off the last five overs, then saw the experienced Mark Boucher lbw to Ajmal for 12.



They eventually got the target down to 17 off the last over, from Ajmal.



Four singles followed before Botha was stumped by wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal and that left South Africa needing an impossible 14 runs off two balls.



Earlier, a stand of 51 in six overs between Umar Akmal and brother Kamran (37) revived the innings before Umar put on 61 with Afridi (30), who’d won the toss.



Fast-medium bowler Charl Langeveldt, maintaining an admirable line, took a career-best four wickets for just 19 runs from his maximum four overs.



South Africa’s seamers had early success but the Akmal brothers got the innings going again, Kamran slog-sweeping Roelof van der Merwe and Umar playing a similar stroke for six against the left-arm spinner.



Umar Akmal reached his 31-ball fifty in style with a fourth six, driven straight off Langeveldt.



But, two balls later, he failed to clear the boundary and was caught by Gibbs off Langeveldt.



Scoreboard:



Pakistan innings
Kamran Akmal c Gibbs b van der Merwe 37
Salman Butt c Smith b Steyn 2
Khalid Latif c Steyn b Kallis 7
Mohammad Hafeez lbw b Langeveldt 1
Umar Akmal c Gibbs b Langeveldt 51
Shahid Afridi b Langeveldt 30
Abdul Razzaq not out 11
Misbah-ul-Haq c de Villiers b Langeveldt 3
Abdur Rehman not out 2
Extras (lb-1, w-3) 4
Total (seven wickets; 20 overs) 148

Fall of wickets: 1-6 2-14 3-18 4-69 5-130 6-132 7-143



Bowling: A.Morkel 4-0-28-0, Steyn 4-0-26-1 (w-1), Langeveldt 4-0-19-4, Kallis 4-0-28-1, Botha 2-0-13-0 (w-2), van der Merwe
2-0-33-1.


Did not bat: Mohammad Aamer, Saeed Ajmal



South Africa innings
H. Gibbs c Misbah-ul-Haq b Abdul Razzaq 3
G. Smith c Shahid Afridi b Abdur Rehman 13
J. Kallis c Umar Akmal b Saeed Ajmal 22
AB de Villiers c Kamran Akmal b Saeed Ajmal 53
J. Duminy c Khalid Latif b Abdur Rehman 3
M. Boucher lbw b Saeed Ajmal 12
A. Morkel not out 7
J. Botha st Kamran Akmal b Saeed Ajmal 19
R. van der Merwe not out 2
Extras (lb-1, w-2) 3
Total (seven wickets; 20 overs) 137

Fall of wickets: 1-12 2-23 3-56 4-68 5-101 6-113 7-135



Bowling: Razzaq 3-0-16-1, M.Aamer 4-0-33-0, Rehman 4-0-35-2
(w-2), M.Hafeez 1-0-5-0, Afridi 4-0-21-0, Ajmal 4-0-26-4.



Did not bat: D.Steyn, C.Langeveldt