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Makhaya Ntini grabbed 5-21 as South Africa conjured a great escape to advance into the ICC Champions Trophy semifinals with a dramatic 124-run win over Pakistan here on Friday.

The Proteas recovered from a disastrous 42-5 within the first hour to post 213-8 before Pakistan were themselves reduced to 27-6 and bowled out for 89 in the eventful day-night One-day International (ODI).

South Africa joined New Zealand in the semi-finals from group B with two wins each, topping the group on the basis of a superior run-rate. The South Africans will travel to Jaipur for the second semifinal against the runners-up of group A on November 2.

New Zealand will face the group A winners in the first semifinal in Mohali on November 1. Defending champions the West Indies have already qualified from group A while Australia and hosts India will battle for the last semi-final spot here on Sunday. South Africa made a terrible start in the key match when they lost half their side by the 13th over after captain Graeme Smith won the toss and elected to bat on a seaming wicket.

Mark Boucher (69) and Justin Kemp (64) led their team’s recovery by adding 131 for the sixth wicket, South Africa’s best sixth-wicket stand against Pakistan surpassing the 88 by Jonty Rhodes and Dave Richardson at Durban in 1994.

Pakistan, chasing a modest target of 4.3 runs an over, were stunned by a lightening spell from the fired-up Ntini.

The right-arm fast bowler had Mohammad Hafeez caught by Smith at first slip with his second ball and had Imran Farhat taken at third man by Shaun Pollock in his next over.

Pollock celebrated his 100th ODI catch by bowling Mohammad Yousuf for five before Ntini dismissed captain Younis Khan and Shoaib Malik in his fourth over.

Pakistan slipped to 42-7 in the 13th over when Ntini trapped Kamran Akmal leg-before and Pollock claimed Shahid Afridi (14) in the same fashion.

Pakistan’s lowest total against South Africa — their previous low was 109 in Johannesburg in 1995 — undid the good work done by their bowlers in the first session.

Pakistan had decimated the South African top order after Umar Gul removed Smith and Herschelle Gibbs in the first over of the match as the ball moved alarmingly in the air and off the wicket.

Fellow seamer Rao Iftikhar enjoyed the conditions as much as Umar, conceding his first run on his 19th delivery.

Iftikhar had Boeta Dippenaar (13) and Jacques Kallis (17) caught by wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal as the Proteas slipped to 36-4.

It soon became 42-5 as Yasir Arafat forced A.B. de Villiers to edge a catch to Kamran.

South Africa’s top-order batting had failed for the third successive time in the tournament. They were reduced to 25-3 by New Zealand before being bowled out for 108 on a dusty track at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. Against Sri Lanka, the Proteas tumbled to 30-3 before ending at a below-par 219-9.

But the bowlers made up for the batting lapses to earn South Africa a superb victory.

Scoreboard

South Africa won toss

South Africa

*G C Smith lbw b Umar 0

H H Dippenaar c Kamran b Iftikhar 13

H H Gibbs c Shoaib b Umar 0

J H Kallis c Kamran b Iftikhar 17

A B de Villiers c Kamran b Yasir 10

†M V Boucher c Hafeez b Razzaq 69

J M Kemp c Shoaib b Umar 64

S M Pollock c Iftikhar b Hafeez 2

A Nel not out 12

M Ntini not out 0

Extras (lb15, w11) 26

Total (8 wkts, 50 overs) 213

Did not bat: C K Langeveldt

Fall: 1-0, 2-1, 3-27, 4-36, 5-42, 6-173, 7-182, 8-199

Bowling: Umar Gul 8-0-36-3 (2w); Rao Iftikhar 10-4-26-2 (1w); Yasir Arafat 5-0-33-1 (1w); Abdul Razzaq 10-0-33-1; Mohammad Hafeez 8-1-23-1 (2w); Shahid Afridi 6-0-26-0 (1w); Shoaib Malik 3-0-21-0 (1w)

Pakistan

Mohammad Hafeez c Smith b Ntini 1

Imran Farhat c Pollock b Ntini 4

*Younis Khan c Langeveldt b Ntini 7

Mohammad Yousuf b Pollock 5

Shoaib Malik c Boucher b Ntini 0

†Kamran Akmal lbw b Ntini 1

Abdul Razzaq b Langeveldt 5

Shahid Afridi lbw b Pollock 14

Yasir Arafat c Ntini b Langeveldt 27

Umar Gul c Boucher b Langeveldt 7

Rao Iftikhar not out 2

Extras (lb5, w9, nb2) 16

Total (all out, 25 overs) 89

Fall: 1-5, 2-9, 3-17, 4-21, 5-21, 6-27, 7-42, 8-47, 9-77

Bowling: Pollock 7-0-20-2 (2nb); Ntini 6-2-21-5 (1w); Nel 6-0-23-0 (4w); Langeveldt 6-2-20-3

Result: South Africa won by 124 runs

Points: South Africa 2, Pakistan 0

Man of the Match: Makhaya Ntini

Umpires: M R Benson (England) and B F Bowden (New Zealand). TV umpire: S A Bucknor (West Indies). Match referee: R S Madugalle (Sri Lanka)

ICC Champions Trophy Points Table

Group A P W L Pts NRR

West Indies 2 2 - 4 +0.125

India 2 1 1 2 +0.888

Australia 2 1 1 2 +0.507

England 2 - 2 0 -1.522

Group B

South Africa 3 2 1 4 +0.767

New Zealand 3 2 1 4 +0.572

Sri Lanka 3 1 2 2 -0.195

Pakistan 3 1 2 2 -1.107
Source:The News