Benoni (Sports News): Fatima Sana’s all-round brilliance led Pakistan women’s team to a crushing 53-run win in the third T20I over South Africa, who took the series 2-1, here at the Willowmoore Park, Benoni on Monday. It is Pakistan’s sixth-largest winning margin in women’s T20Is and largest against South Africa.
The hosts succumbed to their second-lowest T20I total, 91 all out, in last four years. All-rounder Marizanne Kapp was absent hurt.
Pakistan will now face South Africa in a three-match ODI series slated to be played on 22, 25 February and 1 March and will warm up with a 50-over practice match on 19 February.
Fatima first struck 47 not out to help Pakistan recover from 68-5 to 144-7 in 20 overs and then took two wickets in the powerplay to put South Africa under pressure early on. She won her second player of the series award and only the third player of the match award in T20Is after scoring 146 runs and taking two scalps in the series.
South Africa lost Tazmin Brits to Fatima for a duck on the third ball after their chase got underway, before Lara Goodall and Dane van Niekerk both fell prey to left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal in a space of three balls in the fourth over.
Soon after Fatima’s strike to remove her counterpart Laura Wolvaardt for a run-a-ball 11 pushed South Africa to 30-4 in 4.1 overs.
At this juncture, Annerie Dercksen (30, 38b, 3x4s) and Nadine de Klerk (27, 30b, 4x4s) got together to put on 55-run stand, which brought down the equation to 60 needed off 31 balls.
Dercksen was run out in 15th over, while De Klerk was removed by Ayesha Zafar in the subsequent over as Pakistan took five for six including two run outs to wrap up South Africa’s innings in 16.5 overs.
For Pakistan, Sadia returned figures of 3.5-0-18-3, while Fatima’s two wickets came for 12 runs in three overs.
Earlier, Pakistan lost opening batter Muneeba Ali and Gull Feroza early before Sidra Amin (26, 25b, 2x4s) and Ayesha Zafar (19, 21b, 1x6) took Pakistan to 46-2 at the end of powerplay.
Sidra and Ayesha’s 38-run stand ended in seventh over, while Pakistan found themselves 61-4 at the halfway mark and 68-5 in 11.2 overs. Fatima (47 not out, 30b, 4x4s, 2x6s) and Aliya Riaz (26, 25b, 3x4s) then stitched a game-changing 45-ball 70-run stand as Pakistan posted 144-7.
South Africa’s Nonkululeko Mlaba, Ayabonda Khaka and Msabata Klaas picked up one wicket each.
Scores in brief:
3rd WT20I - Pakistan women beat South Africa women by 53 runs at Willowmoore Park, Benoni
Pakistan 144-7, 20 overs (Fatima Sana 47 not out, Sidra Amin 26, Aliya Riaz 26, Ayesha Zafar 19)
South Africa 91 all out, 16.5 overs (Annerie Dercksen 30, Nadine de Klerk 27; Sadia Iqbal 3- 18, Fatima Sana 2-12)
Player of the match and series – Fatima Sana (Pakistan women)
Pakistan Women’s tour of South Africa T20I series:
1st T20I – 10 February – South Africa won by five wickets
2nd T20I – 13 February – South Africa won by six wickets
3rd T20I – 16 February – Pakistan won by 53 runs
ODI series schedule:
50-over warm-up match – 19 February - Kimberley Oval, Kimberley (day)
1st ODI – 22 February - Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein (day)
2nd ODI – 25 February – SuperSport Park, Centurion (day/night)
3rd ODI – 1 March – Kingsmead Stadium, Durban (day)
