Captain Misbah-ul-Haq culpable as Pakistan slump

Almost all of the 24,000 fans crammed into the ground were wearing Pakistan colours, but having watched their heroes restrict the Proteas to 234-9, they were silenced by a flat batting display that led to Pakistan being dismissed for 167.

Captain Misbah-ul-Haq was largely responsible for the go-slow, top-scoring with 55 but never showing the urgency needed to make the target viable.

Both sides lost their Group B opener, meaning Pakistan are now almost certainly heading home, while South Africa live to fight another day.

The victors have Hashim Amla’s measured 81 to thank for their total, while Ryan McLaren 
(4-19) and debutant Chris Morris excelled in place of injured pair Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn.

Morris made a striking impression, toppling Imran Farhat’s off stump with his fifth ball in ODI cricket.

The method was simple – fast, full and straightening – and the execution perfect.

Neither Morris nor Lonwabo Tsotsobe gave anything loose in their opening bursts and Mohammed Hafeez lost patience in the eighth over, taking on a bouncer from Morris and top-edging to square leg.

After 10 overs, Pakistan had just 18 on the board.

McLaren turned in back-to-back maidens as Shoaib Malik slowed the scoring yet further and it was almost a relief when he played on to JP Duminy for eight.

Misbah and the resolute Nasir Jamshed gently picked things up to reach 75 by the mid-point of the innings, but the required rate was still more than six an over.

Jamshed’s watch ended when Tsotsobe gathered a low return catch to send him back for 42 in 75 balls, by which point even Misbah seemed to have given in.

His running between the wickets became increasingly languid and little or no effort was made to threaten the boundaries.

His fifth-wicket stand with Umar Amin yielded 43 in 11 overs and had just started to show signs of life when McLaren struck twice in an over.

Amin was his first victim, skying a catch to cover, and Kamran Akmal was close behind, superbly caught for nought by Faf du Plessis at backward point.

Misbah gave the Pakistan fans one straight six to cheer before a soft dismissal at the hands of Tsotsobe, and McLaren took the final two wickets with minimal fuss.

South Africa’s innings was a lopsided affair but in hindsight proved more than enough.