Pakistan emerged victorious in their sixth match of the 2023 World Cup against South Africa, held at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday. The Pakistani team set a target of 270 runs while batting first, with Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel both scoring fifties. Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz also contributed with some impressive lower-order batting. Despite a strong start to their chase, South Africa lost momentum after Aiden Markram’s dismissal, leaving them with 7 wickets down.
In an intense finale, Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi, the last-wicket pair, managed to lead South Africa to victory. Maharaj sealed the win hitting the winning runs, guiding Mohammad Nawaz’s delivery behind square leg for four.
Keshav Maharaj, with his noteworthy performance, caught the attention of Indian viewers. His name suggests some Indian heritage, and a previous report the Mumbai Mirror in 2018 confirmed that Maharaj’s family indeed originated from Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, and migrated to South Africa as indentured laborers in 1874.
Notably, Keshav’s father, Athmanand Maharaj, also had a career in professional cricket and represented the Kwazulu-Natal province in South Africa. Former Indian wicketkeeper Kiran More also had a connection with the Maharaj family and predicted a promising future for Keshav since he was just three years old.
Keshav Maharaj has already made his mark in international cricket, representing South Africa in all three formats of the game. He debuted during a Test match against Australia in November 2016 and has taken a total of 224 wickets across formats, with a majority of them (158) in Test matches. He has also showcased his batting abilities with two centuries at the domestic first-class level.
As the World Cup progresses, India, Australia, and South Africa are considered among the top favorites for the 2023 title. According to the odds from Dafabet, India leads with 2.15, followed Australia with 5.00, and South Africa with 4.75. New Zealand and Pakistan have higher odds of 7.00 and 29.00, respectively.
Excitement surrounds the tournament as cricket fans eagerly anticipate the outcome of the 2023 World Cup. If you believe you can predict the winner, you can place your bets with Dafabet to add an extra thrill to the competition.