KARACHI – Pakistan achieved a clean sweep of the series against South Africa with a 3-0 victory after defeating the visitors in the third and final women’s Twenty20 International at the National Bank Stadium on Monday.
Under the leadership of Nida Dar, Pakistan had previously won the first two matches of the series by five and seven wickets, respectively.
In the final match, Pakistan successfully defended a total of 150 runs, narrowly denying the visitors a consolation win by just six runs.
This accomplishment is particularly noteworthy for Pakistan, as South Africa had been the runners-up in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in February of the same year and were ranked two places higher than Pakistan, occupying the fifth position in the team rankings for the format.
Alhumdulliah Many Congratulations to each and every member of the team, support staff, PCB family and my beloved fans. This win is for my beloved country. Pakistan Zindabad @TheRealPCBMedia @TheRealPCB @aliya_riaz37 @SidraAmin31 @sadiaiqbal45 @imfatimasana @MuneebaAli17 #pakvsa pic.twitter.com/Y0ki0gsTKw
— Nida Dar (@CoolNidadar) September 4, 2023
While Pakistan had executed clinical run chases in the first two matches, the focus in the third match shifted to their bowling performance, and the bowlers delivered.
Although South Africa lost only five wickets, with Sadia Iqbal and Nashra Sandhu claiming two each for Pakistan, they found themselves needing seven runs on the last ball of the match, a task that proved too difficult for the Proteas.
South Africa had a strong start, with their captain and opener, Laura Wolvaardt, smashing 72 off 54 balls, including nine fours. The second-best batting performance for the visitors came from Nadine de Klerk, who scored 20 off 22 balls. This highlighted the lack of support for Wolvaardt’s efforts, ultimately slowing down their chase and resulting in a defeat.
In the earlier innings, Sidra Amin and Bismah Maroof contributed 39 runs each, while Nida Dar’s explosive 20-ball 36, featuring five fours and a six, helped Pakistan reach a total of 150-5.
