South Africa great Jacques Kallis has urged the Proteas to learn lessons from England's one-day international revival following the team's miserable early exit from the World Cup.

A 49-run defeat by Pakistan at Lord's on Sunday ensured that, with two games in the 10-team round-robin phase still to play, there is no way South Africa can qualify for the semi-finals.

Faf du Plessis, the South Africa captain, did not pull any punches, labelling his side's 259-9 in response to Pakistan's 308-7 as "borderline embarrassing".

But Kallis, the outstanding all-rounder of his generation, said South Africa should take heart from the way England recovered after suffering an equally woeful first-round exit at the 2015 World Cup

Eoin Morgan's side have since risen to the top of the ODI rankings and are among the leading contenders to lift the trophy this year.

"England used the disappointment of their performances in 2015 to rebuild their team and totally change their mentality and approach to one-day cricket," wrote Kallis in an International Cricket Council column.

"England now play without fear and aren't afraid to make mistakes. For me, South Africa have approached things too defensively at this tournament and they need to attack each match with much more positivity going forward."

Kallis said altering their approach did not mean the Proteas had to start from scratch with a new squad.

"You don't need to make wholesale changes, England are still captained by Eoin Morgan, as they were four years ago," he said.

"A total clean-out is just not the way ahead. We need to be more considered and thoughtful.

"South Africa have some great young players in their 20s (Kagiso Rabada, 24, Lungi Ngidi, 23, Andile Phehlukwayo,23, and Aiden Markram, 24) and they can be the foundation for the future."

Kallis added: "The first thing that needs to be looked at is the brand of cricket South Africa are playing. 

"England are proof how quickly things can change in four years, so long as you have the right approach."

Feature image courtesy: Twitter / Cricket World Cup

Pakistan condemned South Africa to World Cup elimination and kept alive their own slender chances of advancing to the semi-finals with a 49-run win at Lord's on Sunday.

Chasing 309 to remain in the hunt for a last four berth, South Africa's survival bid petered out on 259-9.

Disciplined Pakistan bowling saw Shadab Khan and Wahab Riaz take three wickets each as South Africa surrendered without a fight.

Faf du Plessis's side had already been roughed up by Haris Sohail's brilliant 59-ball innings of 89 in Pakistan's 308-7.

South Africa's fifth defeat in seven World Cup matches confirmed their embarrassingly early exit, with matches against Sri Lanka and Australia still to play.

For just the second time in their history, and the first time since 2003, South Africa have failed to reach the World Cup knockout stages.

The post-mortem into a woeful World Cup campaign will raise pointed questions about the futures of captain Du Plessis and coach Ottis Gibson.

South Africa have been beset by problems on and off the field -- starting when AB de Villiers' late offer to come out of retirement for the World Cup was rejected.

Their campaign got off to the worst possible start when they were thrashed by hosts England in the tournament opener.

Alarm bells were ringing even louder after a dismal defeat to Bangladesh in their second game and by the time India brushed them aside, it was clear South Africa were in turmoil.

An injury that ruled key pace bowler Dale Steyn out of the tournament was another setback.

Their only win to date was against minnows Afghanistan and their mountain of issues proved too much for the uninspired Proteas players to overcome as they slumped to a tame exit.

Pakistan were also playing for their World Cup survival and mustered a far more whole-hearted effort in the must-win clash.

To the delight of their army of fans, who turned Lord's into a vibrant mass of green, Sarfaraz Ahmed's side could still make the semi-finals.

Their second win of the tournament gives them life with three matches remaining in the battle to finish in the top four in the 10-team group stage.

- Hour of need -

Bangladesh's 322-3 against the West Indies was the only successful chase of more than 250 in this World Cup and South Africa never looked like emulating that feat.

Their task was made all the more difficult when veteran Hashim Amla was trapped lbw by Mohammad Amir for two in the second over.

The Proteas managed only 38 from the first 10 overs and as, the pressure mounted, Quinton de Kock fell for 47, caught on the boundary by the diving Imam-ul-Haq for Shadab's 50th ODI wicket.

On 91-2 in the 20th over and with the required run-rate climbing, South Africa needed a big innings from Du Plessis.

Encapsulating a turbulent World Cup for the skipper and his team, the skipper could not get the job done in their hour of need.

He perished for 63 when a mistimed swipe against Amir ballooned high in the air for Sarfaraz to take a simple catch.

Rassie van der Dussen went in similar fashion, skying Shadab to give Mohammed Hafeez a catch that pushed South Africa towards the exit.

Sohail's dashing display had set the tone for a dispiriting day for South Africa.

The 30-year-old, dropped following Pakistan's opener against the West Indies, made up for lost time as he demolished South Africa's beleaguered bowlers.

Hitting nine fours and three sixes in his ruthless blitz, Sohail gave Pakistan a shot of adrenaline after Babar Azam's more sedate 69 laid the foundations for victory.

Feature image courtesy: Twitter / Cricket World Cup

Haris Sohail boosted Pakistan's bid to avoid World Cup elimination with a blistering 89 in his side's 308 for seven against fellow strugglers South Africa on Sunday.

Sohail was making just his second appearance at this year's World Cup and his dashing display at Lord's suggested he should have been involved more often.

The 30-year-old, dropped following Pakistan's opener against the West Indies, made up for lost time as he demolished South Africa's beleaguered bowlers.

Hitting nine fours and three sixes in his 59-ball blitz, Sohail gave Pakistan a shot of adrenaline after Babar Azam's more sedate 69 laid the foundations.

With only one win apiece, Pakistan and South Africa both need a victory to keep alive their slender hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals via a top-four finish in the 10-team group stage.

Beaten by bitter rivals India in their last match, Pakistan's players spent the past week involved in a series of spats with frustrated fans both in person and on social media.

After Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed won the toss and decided to bat first, Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq lifted morale with a stand of 81 for the first wicket

Zaman slapped Kagiso Rabada's second ball of the match through the covers for a tone-setting four.

The green-shirt-clad Pakistan fans who made up the majority of the crowd were on their feet cheering when Zaman's effortless six off Lungi Ngidi made it 44-0 from the first six overs.

Zaman had a narrow escape when he slogged Chris Morris to Imran Tahir, who claimed he made the catch after running in from the boundary.

The umpires asked for a review that showed the Pakistan-born South African's fingers were not under the ball as it hit the turf.

Tahir was booed by Pakistan fans when he came on to bowl, but the leg-spinner got his revenge when Zaman attempted a bizarre scooped shot that saw him caught in the slips by Hashim Amla on 44.

Not surprisingly, Tahir's trademark celebration sprint around the pitch seemed a little more vigorous than usual.

Tahir was just getting warmed up and he produced a sublime catch off his own bowling to dismiss Imam for 44.

Lunging low to pluck the ball just before it hit the ground, Tahir was ecstatic as he blew kisses to his detractors in the crowd.

Tahir's 39th World Cup scalp made him South Africa's all-time leading wicket-taker in the tournament.

Mohammad Hafeez departed for 20, lbw to Aiden Markram, to leave Pakistan 143-3 in the 30th over.

That brought Sohail to the crease and his aggression, including a four and a six from successive Rabada deliveries, restored Pakistan's momentum.

Babar stepped on the gas as he went past 50, but he holed out to Ngidi on the boundary off Andile Phehlukwayo to end an 80-ball innings featuring seven fours.

Sohail smashed a four to reach his 50 in 38 balls and saw Pakistan through to the last over before mistiming a pull off Ngidi.

Feature image courtesy: Twitter/ @cricketworldcup

Having all but bowed out of the 2019 ICC World Cup after a close defeat to New Zealand, South Africa will have nothing but pride at stake when they take on Pakistan as the tournament hits the mecca of cricket �Lord’s on Sunday.

While the Proteas only have an outside chance of making it to the top four, same is not the case for Pakistan. The team led by Sarfaraz Ahmed come into this match after a morale shattering loss to India a week ago. Though they have won just one of their five games so far, the Pakistanis can still make it to the semifinals even if they win rest of their four games, starting with their clash against South Africa.

Problems for Pakistan isn’t restricted to one department alone. While their batsmen have failed to deliver and at time, capitalize on the odd starts that they have managed, the bowlers too have been lethargic in their approach. Their fielding lacks the cutting edge, while Sarfaraz’s decisions as the skipper too has been questionable.

But despite a collective failure, two of Pakistan’s gems have ensured that they continue the good work. While Babar Azam has been consistent with the bat, Mohammad Amir has been the most destructive with the ball. Azam has amassed 163 runs in four innings, but he too has been guilty of throwing away wickets when it was least expected.

Amir, meanwhile, has been on the money from the first game. With 13 wickets to show for, which includes a five-wicket haul against Australia, the left-arm pacer has been the beacon of hope that the Pakistanis are heavily reliant on. And on Sunday, they will once again be expecting him to deliver with the new ball.

On the flip side, nothing much can be said about South Africa. While if until this edition of the World Cup, poor ‘luck�or one bad decision was they undoing, at the 2019 World Cup, the Proteas have no one but themselves to blame for the position they find themselves in.

The batting has been their biggest worry with Hashim Amla struggling for form, while Quinton de Kock and Faf du Plessis have also been largely patchy so far. On the bowling front, neither Kagiso Rabada nor Lungi Ngidi have showed anything worth appreciating. Though Imran Tahir has been good, one can’t expect a spinner to carry a team through in the English conditions.

Feature image courtesy: AFP Photo/ Oli Scarff

Embattled Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has pleaded with furious fans to stop abusing his team ahead of Sunday's World Cup clash against South Africa.

Pakistan's painful defeat against bitter rivals India in Manchester last Sunday sparked a furious reaction from supporters, with ex-pats living in Britain taking out their frustrations on the players.

Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam were reportedly abused and shouted at while at lunch on Thursday, with fans claiming players responded by pushing them.

Pakistan's players were advised to be cautious following the incidents in London this week and Sarfaraz admitted the team and their families have been troubled by the taunting, which included social media trolling.

"Players have their personal lives," Sarfaraz said on the eve of Pakistan's must-win game against the Proteas at Lord's.

"Whatever they (the public) think, they write it on social media. That hurts, too much. 

"Players are affected psychologically. Such things should not happen."

The 1992 champions are close to World Cup elimination after winning just one of their five matches.

They not only need to win all their four remaining matches to have a realistic chance of reaching the semi-finals, but also improve their inferior net run-rate.

Sarfaraz admitted fans will inevitably show their anger after such a disappointing World Cup for his country.

"I know you cannot stop anyone," said Sarfaraz, who was abused by a fan while at a shopping centre with his family.

"Our fans are emotional and these same people lift us when we win.

"But if they feel sad on a defeat we also feel the same way. We feel it much more because we are playing for Pakistan."

The video of the incident involving Sarfaraz went viral on social media, leading to condemnation of the fan who later apologised to the Pakistan captain on Twitter.

- 'Criticise our game' -

"Our families get affected," said Sarfaraz. "If someone is hitting, then pushing anyone that's not good. So the request is to talk about cricket. 

"Social media and media are not in our control. They are so big that you cannot stop them.

"Teams have lost before, they will lose again, but now with social media such big it gets unstoppable."

But Sarfaraz insisted the personal abuse was going too far, calling for supporters to stick to criticising their form on the field instead.

"There should be no abusing, criticise our game. That's not an issue," he said.

"I have said before that cricket is such a game that it takes you high one day and then you fall the other day.

"I have always tried to keep myself at the same position. I am like I am before. I have been with people who have kept me humble and down to earth."

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) denied media reports that players are barred from going out for their own safety. 

"There were incidents of players being abused when they went out for lunch and dinner. That is condemnable but Babar and Imam never misbehaved," a PCB spokesman told AFP. 

"We have advised players to be aware of the situation around them and be cautious. 

"It is not correct that we have barred them from going out as is projected in some parts of the media."

Feature image: Twitter / ICC

Wahab Riaz called on Pakistan's World Cup strugglers to stick together as they prepare to face South Africa in a must-win game at Lord's on Sunday.

Pakistan have only three points from five games and to make the semi-finals they are likely to need to win their four remaining games and improve their net run-rate, while hoping other results go their way.

Pakistan pace-man Riaz insists his team-mates realise the importance of the do-or-die game and he hopes displaying a united front against South Africa will spark a strong performance.

"We have to lift ourselves," Wahab told reporters. "We are each other's strength. We are all good friends and know that only 15 of us can lift the team which not even our family members can do."

Pakistan's defeat against arch rivals India last weekend sparked a depressing few days, not only for the team but also millions of fans back home.

Team management gave Pakistan's players time off to unwind and come back refreshed after the India game.

And Riaz insisted his team-mates realise the mistakes they have made so far and are determined to make amends.

"Good teams are the ones who realises their mistakes, so we have discussed all those mistakes and a two day break has refreshed us," he said.

But the 33-year-old, who took three wickets in Pakistan's shock win over pre-tournament favourites England, admitted the bowling unit needs to work harder. 

"As a bowling unit we are trying hard, We are all focused to do well in the South Africa match. You need wickets upfront in England but we were not getting that," Riaz said.

Riaz singled out middle-order slumps for Pakistan's downfall against Australia and India -- both in chasing 300-plus targets.

"We were going well in batting in both the games but lost crucial wickets and got derailed," said Wahab of Pakistan's collapses.

Pakistan slumped to 160-6 after being 136-2 against Australia, while they lost four wickets in the space of 18 balls and 12 runs against India.

Feature image courtesy: Twitter / Cricket World Cup