South Africa survived a late charge from Pakistan to secure a thrilling one-wicket win and move closer to the semi-finals of the Cricket World Cup on Friday.

At 206-4, Aiden Markram hit a good 91, and South Africa was well on its way to easily reach their 271-run goal.

However, Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi were the last pair to bat and they scored 11 runs while facing 11 balls.

Haris Rauf, a fast bowler, was called off for leg-before, but Shamsi survived. With eight runs needed, Maharaj hit spinner Mohammad Nawaz to the square-leg boundary to win the game in 47.2 overs, which made his team’s locker room go crazy with joy.

Along with Lungi Ngidi (four), Maharaj (seven not out) added 10 runs for the ninth wicket. But Rauf bowled badly and caught Ngidi, sending him back.

South Africa is now in first place in the table with 10 points, earned from five wins in six games.

Pakistan, on the other hand, has lost four straight games after winning their first two games in the tournament.

They have four points and need other teams to lose in order for them to make it into the semifinals.

This was only the seventh one-wicket game in the history of the World Cup, and it was South Africa’s second.

Pakistan scored 270 runs but was out in 46.4 overs. Saud Shakeel scored 52, Babar Azam, the captain, scored 50, and Shadab Khan scored 43. Shamsi, a left-arm spinner, took 4-60.

Markram showed great skill by putting together a 70-run stand with David Miller for the fifth wicket. Miller scored 29 runs off of 33 balls, including two sixes and as many fours.

At that point, it looked like the Proteas were going to easily win.

But things went wrong late at Chidambaram Stadium, where Pakistan fought back as South Africa fell from 206-4 to 250-8.

In the 34th over, Shaheen Shah Afridi got rid of Miller, and three overs later, Rauf had Marco Jansen out for 20.

Markram hit three sixes and seven fours off of 93 balls. It was his fourth fifty in the World Cup, and it was also the 61st game in which he scored 2,000 runs in an ODI.

Shamsi and Jansen were the ones who stopped Pakistan’s innings earlier.

The 33-year-old leg-spinner finished with 4-60, and Jansen, a pace bowler, took 3–43 after Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat. They needed a win to keep their World Cup hopes alive.

Pakistan would have scored fewer runs if Shakeel and Shadab hadn’t put together an 84-run stand for the sixth wicket in 71 balls after Azam was out for 141.

In his second fifty in the tournament, Shakeel hit seven sixes and three fours. Shadab hit two sixes and three fours.

In the first seven overs, Jansen was the one who struck first, getting rid of openers Abdullah Shafique (9) and Imam-ul-Haq (12).

Mohammad Rizwan made 31 runs with a six and four boundaries, that added 48 runs for the third wicket. Azam also scored 48 runs.

The captain scored 43 more runs with Iftikhar Ahmed, who scored 21 runs with a six and a boundary.

Iftikhar was caught at long-on by Shamsi, and Azam was swept behind the wicket by Shamsi. This stopped the innings until Shakeel and Shadab restored it.

In the 40th over, fast bowler Gerald Cotzee broke the tie by getting rid of Shadab. Shamsi then sent back Shakeel and Shaheen (two).

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