ICC Champions Trophy 2017: South Africa vs Pakistan, 5 things South Africa did wrong on the night

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - JUNE 07:  Hasan Ali of Pakistan celebrates catching out  Kagiso Rabada of South Africa during the ICC Champions Trophy match between Pakistan and South Africa at Edgbaston on June 7, 2017 in Birmingham, England.  (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
Hasan Ali produced a rip-roaring spell to reduce Proteas to 118/6

#2 Chaotic team selection and decision to bat first

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - MARCH 04:  AB de Villiers of South Africa throws the ball to his bowler Kagiso Rabada during game five of the One Day International series between New Zealand and South Africa at Eden Park on March 4, 2017 in Auckland, New Zealand.  (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)
de Villiers made a blunder by opting to bat first

The pitch used for this game had already been played on twice and was expected to be slow and sluggish and hence Keshav Maharaj or Andile Phehlukwayo should have replaced an inconsistent Wayne Parnell for this encounter.

Given the nature of the wicket, the slow turn of Maharaj or the cutters from Phehlukwayo would have come in handy for the South Africans. While Pakistan used Imad Wasim, Hafeez, and Shadab Khan as their spinners, South Africa only had Imran Tahir to rely upon. The decision to bat first with rain forecast later in the day also affected the Proteas. With the Duckworth-Lewis rules in place, chasing would have been a far more feasible option.

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