In a must-win game for Pakistan in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 held at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, emotions seemed to have got the better of Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan and South Africa's Marco Jansen. Both the players got engaged in a heated exchange of words and intense staredowns. The incident occurred early in the Pakistan innings, with Pakistan losing both openers during the powerplay in this must-win game for the Men In Green.
Rizwan had just arrived at the crease after Marco Jansen dismissed Imam-ul-Haq for a mere 12 off 18 deliveries with a fuller and wider delivery that the opener chased. Pakistan's No. 4 survived a close call in his first ball as Jansen was unable to hold on to a catch after Rizwan played a well-disguised slower delivery back towards the bowler. Rizwan, however, responded with a boundary off a shorter delivery, which deflected off the leading edge of the bat toward the third-man region. The pacer then stared at Rizwan, who initially ignored it but later exchanged words with the bowler and gestured for him to return to his position for the next delivery.
Jansen maintained his line but delivered a good length ball on the final ball of the over, which Rizwan left alone. The furious South African fast bowler hurled a few words toward the Pakistani batter, who responded with open arms and a broad smile.
With three consecutive losses in the World Cup 2023, including a surprising defeat against Afghanistan, this match against South Africa stands as a must-win for Pakistan to revive their campaign. They had previously won two matches at the start of the tournament in India, against Netherlands and Sri Lanka. Currently, the 1992 champions are in sixth place on the points table, while the Proteas are in second place, with only one loss in their five games so far.
Pakistan's captain, Babar Azam, won the toss and chose to bat first. They were compelled to exclude fast bowler Hasan Ali, who was suffering from a fever. Mohammad Wasim stepped in as his replacement, while spinner Mohammad Nawaz was brought in to replace Usama Mir in a like-for-like change. The Proteas captain, Temba Bavuma, returned after missing the last two games due to a gastric problem. Amongst three changes to the team that triumphed over Bangladesh by 149 runs in Mumbai on Tuesday, opener Reeza Hendricks was omitted. Kagiso Rabada, who has a back injury, and Lizaad Williams were replaced by leg spinner Tabraiz Shamsi and fast bowler Lungi Ngidi.