Pakistan back on right path

A hostile trio of Pakistan left-arm fast bowlers took full advantage of a pitch freshened by rain to hand pre-tournament favourites South Africa their second defeat in the cricket World Cup at Eden Park on Saturday.

Pakistan pulled off a sensational 29-run win on the Duckworth-Lewis method after the match was reduced to a 47-overs-a-side contest due to rain at Eden Park in Auckland.

Pakistan, whose innings was twice interrupted by rain, were bowled out for 222 in 46.4 overs with skipper Misbahul Haq hitting 56 and recalled wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfraz Ahmed scoring a run-a-ball 49.

Pakistan's left-arm pace trio of Rahat Ali (3-40), Wahab Riaz (3-45) and Mohammad Irfan (3-52) then bowled with venom to bundle South Africa out for 202 in 33.3 overs.

AB de Villiers smashed an impressive 58-ball 77 with five sixes and seven boundaries but his dismissal ninth man down sealed a third win in a row for Pakistan.

The victory gave Pakistan six points from five matches and revived their chances of a quarterfinal place from Pool B while South Africa are also on six points from five games.

Coach Waqar Younis said the team is gaining the same spirit of 1992 after defeats in their first two matches.

"The World Cup means pressure games and in 1992 the team handled the pressure very well.

"They lost early games but then came back strongly, they had the belief and [captain] Imran had serious belief and I am hopeful that the same belief is coming into our dressing room. We are going to get better and better."

Waqar was not part of that 1992 team, withdrawn a fortnight before the tournament started with a back problem.

The match proved a triumph for Sarfraz who came into the team in the dual role of opening batsman and wicketkeeper.

Sarfraz took three sixes of a JP Duminy over before he was run out for 49 attempting the second run which would have taken him to his half-century.

He then equalled the one-day world record by holding six catches when South Africa batted, taking his final catch as rain swept across the ground.