Pakistan stayed in contention for the T20 World Cup semifinals after beating South Africa by 33 runs in a rain-affected match on Thursday.
South Africa would have clinched a top-four berth with a win, and has a last chance on Sunday against the Netherlands.
Pakistan has won two after two opening losses and faces Bangladesh on Sunday. But the winner of the clash will need help from others in Group 2 to advance.
Shadab Khan smashed a 21-ball half-century to lead Pakistan to 184-9 after being 43-4 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Rain interrupted South Africa’s chase, and the target was revised to 142 off 14 overs on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method. But the Proteas were restricted to 108-9.
Shadab picked up two wickets with his first three deliveries and was an easy man-of-the-match pick. His blistering 52 off 22 balls, which featured four sixes and three fours, revived Pakistan. Iftikhar Ahmed added 51 off 35 balls against sloppy South African fielding.
“The pitch was nice, a bit slow, but the ball came onto the bat nicely,” Shadab said after what he described as his best T20 batting performance.