Chennai (Tamil Nadu): South Africa's chinaman Tabraiz Shamsi, who was given not out after the controversial decision of Umpires' call on review taken by Pakistan reacted to the incident that happened at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday. Chasing 271, the Proteas were struggling with the last pair, and Tabraiz Shamsi faced a strong LBW appeal off pacer Haris Rauf's bowling, which was given not out by the on-field umpire.
Pacer Haris Rauf convinced skipper Babar Azam to take a review, and the third umpire gave it as not out because of the 'Umpire's Call' that gave relief to Shamsi and South Africa's dugout. Pakistan faced defeat in the fourth consecutive match of the marquee event.
"When I walked down the wicket, Keshav (Maharaj) told me that it was sliding down the wicket. So, I felt cool about it," Tabraiz told reporters here after the match, that went down the wire.
The South African unit and Pakistan players felt that the DRS call could go either way and South Africa as a unit felt the same when Rassie van der Dussen got a contentious leg-before decision off Usama Mir's bowling when there was confusion about Umpire's Call and what showed on replay.
As the on-field umpire gave him out, the review showed a double umpire's call, which was heart-breaking for the Proteas. However, Keshav Maharaj felt that despite having mixed feelings, the team had to accept what the technology said. "Obviously, we felt differently. But when the technology says otherwise, we have to accept it."
Shamsi said that since they had time and deliveries left, they believed in getting the job done. He also admitted that Pakistan pacers were getting the old ball to reverse.
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"We knew we had a lot of time, so it was just a matter of getting forward and putting the bat in the way. They were always going to come for the stumps, and the ball was reversing." "I love it (those nervy moments). That's probably the only four runs that I have scored the whole year, but with those guys running in and bowling quick, I have never seen the ball as clearly as today. For some reason, it didn't feel like a pressure situation," Shamsi said.
However, Shamsi clarified that the batters in his squad have the freedom to take the best shot at that moment. "If he didn't get out, we wouldn't be having this question. We give guys the freedom to take the best option that they think is the best at the moment." "There's no pressure on any specific guy to do the job. It didn't come out for him today. Next game, the ball goes for a boundary, and he is still there batting and winning the game for us."
Shamsi also expressed satisfaction with his bowling performance, having claimed a 4/60 and getting the Player of the Match award. "Very happy with that. Obviously, the guys up front are doing a great job. Full credit to them who bowled before me. We are a unit. Today was my day to take the wickets, but they obviously set it up, and it was my job to continue and make it easier for the guys," he added.
On his part, Maharaj credited the top-order batters for setting up the platform. "I was just watching the ball, and I felt confident of being in a position where I could just place the ball in the right area. We know Shaheen (Shah Afridi), the calibre of a pacer he is. It was quite difficult but lucky enough that we got through the period," he said.
"The batters set it up for us. Yes, there were situations where we felt we had to take the risk. But, the bigger picture was that there were 40 balls to go, and a run a ball would have been enough. (With the field placement) we had to fight our temptation (of going for the big hits)," added Maharaj.
Maharaj was also elated to have great depth within the squad, saying, "Fortunate enough to have a lot of depth in our squad, especially from the fast bowlers' perspective, which is encouraging to see."
Also read - ICC World Cup 2023: South Africa emerge triumphant by one wicket in a thriller against Pakistan
