The 2023 Cricket World Cup was crying out loud for a close match and it is exactly what it got when South Africa took on Pakistan at the MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai on Friday.
Pakistan, who batted first, set an underwhelming target of 272 for South Africa who made hard work of the chase.
They lost nine wickets but the last-wicket pair of Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi held their nerves to lead South Africa to a thrilling victory.
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However, the game wasn't without controversy, with the Decision Review System (DRS) coming in for criticism on two distinct occasions.
Why was DRS in the spotlight during South Africa's chase?
First, Rassie van der Dussen's dismissal sparked controversy during South Africa's chase early on. However, the biggest controversial moment was when Tabraiz Shamsi, South Africa's No.11, was hit on the pads by Haris Rauf with the Proteas still 8 runs away from the target.
Umpire Alex Wharf turned down Rauf's appeal but Pakistan opted to go for a DRS review. However, the review returned "umpire's call" on hitting the wickets which meant Shamsi was adjudged not out and eventually help South Africa win.
If Shamsi had been given out by initially by the umpire, he would have been dismissed even on review and Pakistan would've won the match.
South Africa vs Pakistan: What happened?
And former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was quick to claim that Pakistan were unlucky to have the DRS decision go against them and said that he believed Shamsi was out.
Bad umpiring and bad rules cost Pakistan this game.. @ICC should change this rule .. if the ball is hitting the stump that’s out whether umpire gave out or not out doesn’t matter.. otherwise what is the use of technology??? @TheRealPCB vs #SouthAfrica #worldcup
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) October 27, 2023
What did Graeme Smith say to Harbhajan Singh?
Former South African skipper Graeme Smith joined in the controversy, telling Harbhajan that if that was the case, Rassie van der Dussen shouldn't have been dismissed earlier in the chase. His wicket also was a moment of controversy when South Africa were sitting pretty at 121/2.
Van der Dussen was adjudged LBW and was given out by the on-field umpire. He challenged the decision and went for a DRS review.
In the first instance, the ball-tracker technology showed that the delivery was just missing the wickets. However, in the next shot, it changed the trajectory and showed that the ball was clipping the top of the stumps and changed its reading from "Wickets missing" to "Umpire's Call".
Van der Dussen was shocked to see the reversal on the big screen but had no choice but to walk towards the pavilion.
Bhajji, @harbhajan_singh I feel the same as you on umpires call, but @Rassie72 and South Africa can have the same feeling.? https://t.co/lcTvm8zXD1
— Graeme Smith (@GraemeSmith49) October 27, 2023
Can Pakistan qualify for the World Cup semifinals?
While Pakistan are technically not out of the World Cup semifinal yet, they will have to win all their remaining matches and hope a few results go their way too.
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