Pakistan kept alive their slim hopes of reaching the Twenty20 World Cup semi-finals with a 33-run victory over South Africa in a rain-shortened Super 12 match on Thursday, bringing the tournament’s only unbeaten record to an end in the process, reports timesofindia.indiatimes.com.

On the ropes at 43/4 early in their innings, Pakistan rallied behind spectacular half centuries from Iftikhar Ahmed and Shadab Khan to post 185 for nine and delight the lively crowd of 30,000 roaring them on at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

South Africa would still have fancied their chances but Shaheen Afridi (3-14) claimed two early wickets and Shadab removed Temba Bavuma and Aiden Markram, who had built a promising third-wicket partnership of 49, in quick order.

The skies opened soon afterwards with South Africa on 69/4 after nine overs and an hour later they resumed with a revised target of 142 from five more overs under the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern method only to fall well