Nottingham, June 19: The Pakistanis approached the semifinal against South Africa as if they were fighting a bloody war for their country, but it was a kiss that won them the crucial game at Trent Bridge.

Shahid Afridi’s ability to get under the skin of his opponents did the trick as the South Africans were psyched out, with the seasoned Jacques Kallis topping the list.

As Afridi began to explode, Kallis sent one down past his swinging bat and then walked up to him in an aggressive gesture. The reply? A cool kiss from the bearded batsman. "I just kissed him," Afridi, asked about the root of their confrontation, said after the match. "He came close to me so I gave him a flying kiss, which was about it," he explained with a cheeky smile.

The gesture surely put the South Africans out of gear. In an attempt to vent their ire they bowled short deliveries that were dispatched to the fence with ease.

The flamboyant Pakistan batsman, sent higher up the order, used his attacking instincts to good effect as he demoralised the Proteas with a demolition job that was spread over 34 balls, eight of which scurried to the boundary. He credited his captain for the confidence instilled in him.

"Younis (Khan) has always supported me and asked me to be ready to bat higher up the order. That’s exactly what I needed from the captain. The coach too was appreciative of the idea. Inshallah, I will be ready for the final as well," the 29-year-old said.

"Afridi is our match-winner. Whenever his bat talks, we come out flying, that’s what happened today," Younis said of Afridi, who scored his first half-century in 18 months. "In the last one-and-a-half years I have not played well because I shifted my focus from batting to bowling. But the team needed me with the bat today and it came good," Afridi said.