Pakistan's captain, Babar Azam, was incensed with all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz for delivering a poor ball, allowing Keshav Maharaj to secure a boundary, ultimately leading South Africa to a one-wicket victory in the 26th match of the ICC Men's ODI World Cup.
Pakistan suffered a heart-wrenching defeat at the hands of the Proteas in a nail-biting contest in Chennai.
While chasing a target of 271 runs, South Africa found themselves in dire straits at one point. However, Keshav Maharaj secured the winning runs from Mohammad Nawaz's delivery, propelling the Proteas to the top of the World Cup standings. On the other hand, it spelled disaster for Pakistan, who may now find themselves effectively ousted from the tournament.
Pakistan held a firm grip on the South African players, but it was the South African tailenders who remained resolute and contributed crucial runs towards the end of the match. Despite having numerous opportunities to dismiss their opponents, the Pakistani bowlers failed to do so. With just five runs required from three overs, Babar Azam turned to Mohammad Nawaz in a last-ditch effort to claim the elusive final wicket. However, Nawaz's bowling proved to be disappointing, as the Proteas secured the remaining five runs in just two deliveries.
Nawaz couldn't prevent Tabraiz Shamsi from taking a single on the first ball, and then Keshav Maharaj struck a boundary off him to clinch the victory. Subsequently, the reaction of the Pakistan captain garnered attention.
Babar was not happy at all and had a go at his bowler. The two seemingly were at odds and Babar Azam was aggressive towards Nawaz, who just shook his head and went away. Babar could be lipread saying, "Aur kuch nahi aata, ek he ball aata hain (You don't know anything else apart from the same kind of delivery)."
Back in 2021, Babar Azam had said after the loss against Australia in the T20 World Cup semi-final that no one should point out finger at anyone but here Babar could be seen showing his displeasure towards Nawaz.
Pakistan's loss in Chennai signifies that they have now suffered four consecutive defeats, marking a new nadir for them in the World Cups. Having secured only two wins in six matches, they are on the brink of elimination from the World Cup.