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Pakistan Women finish with commanding win over South Africa

cricket22 September 2025 15:29| © MWP
By:Patrick Compton
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Left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu claimed career-best figures of 6-24 as she helped Pakistan’s Women to a comfortable six-wicket win over South Africa in the third and final ODI at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Monday.

South Africa, who saved their worst performance for this match with some woeful batting in their innings of 115, still won the series 2-1.

Tazmin Brits, who didn’t play in this match, picked up the player of the series award for two unbeaten hundreds, while Sandhu was player of the match.

SA skipper Wolvaardt said the series was “excellent preparation” for the World Cup, with the batters scoring big runs in the first two matches. “But I was disappointed with our performance today. The pitch was very different and I don’t think we adjusted well enough with the bat. But the bowlers did well and it was good to give the entire squad a run out in the series.”

ULTRA-CAUTIOUS PAKISTAN

Facing a paltry victory target of 116, Pakistan were ultra-cautious in their innings, taking 20 balls to score their first run and labouring to 24 for one in the first 10-over powerplay, but they accelerated to eventually win the match in 31 overs with their best batter, Sidra Amin, on-driving her eighth boundary to clinch her half-century and victory.

South Africa had little hope of defending their total, but they began well when their expert left-arm spinner, Nonkululeko Mlaba, had Omaima Sohail caught at point with her first ball in the second over.

Muneeba Ali and Amin went about their business, determined not to take the least risk, a fair enough approach given their need for a morale-boosting win and the plentiful time they had to achieve it.

Ali, who struck six fours in her 76-ball 44, was eventually well held by wicketkeeper Sinalo Jafta off Nadine de Klerk, who then claimed the wicket two balls later of skipper Fatima Sana, caught in the deep attempting to dispatch a full toss. Natalia Pervaiz and Amin added 38 before Pervaiz was castled, trying to win the match with a flourish.

But Amin, rock solid throughout, ensured victory for her team with a 94-ball half-ton. The right-hander was the top scorer in the series, also striking two hundreds at her favourite ground, where she averages over a hundred.

Earlier, South Africa’s batters disappointed after they made five changes for this match, presumably because they already enjoyed a winning lead of 2-0 in the three-match series and also because they wanted outings for their less-heralded players in preparation for the ICC Women’s World Cup in India and Sri Lanka at the end of the month.

The match was played on the same pitch as the first ODI, but the dry surface was abrasive, having been shorn of grass, and South Africa’s batters were all at sea against Sandhu and legspinner Aroob Shah (2-16), who managed to get some moderate purchase on the low, slow track.

WORRYING PERFORMANCE

It was a worrying performance from South Africa’s batters, who will surely have to face similar conditions in Sri Lanka and India.

South Africa made deceptively good progress in the early overs, however, largely due to some splendid strokes from Wolvaardt who struck six fours with some typically elegant drives and clips through midwicket. But when she fell in the seventh over, playing too early at seamer Diana Baig and offering an easy catch to midwicket, the South African batting crumbled with the visitors losing six wickets for 36.

Most of the early wickets to fall were disappointingly soft with Sune Luus mistiming an off-drive to cover, while Wolvaardt’s opening partner, Karabo Meso, lobbed one back to offspinner Omaima Sohail. Only Miane Smit, who struck two fine drives for boundaries, could say she had been got out as Sandhu got one to pitch on middle and hit off.

Sinalo Jafta continued the sorry tale of poor dismissals when she attempted an amateurish reverse-sweep to be leg before and Chloe Tryon and Nadine de Klerk completed Sandhu’s rich haul of wickets as the tourists lost 10 wickets for 77 as they were dismissed in 25.5 overs.

Sandhu’s figures were the second best for a Pakistani bowler in ODIs, second only to those of Sajida Shah’s 7/4 against Japan in 2003. She may nevertheless consider her effort the best, given the modest ability of Shah’s opponents.

PAKISTAN: Muneeba Ali, Omaima Sohail, Eyman Fatima, Sidra Amin, Natalia Pervaiz, Fatima Sana(c), Sidra Nawaz(w), Syeda Aroob Shah, Nashra Sandhu, Diana Baig, Rameen Shamim

SOUTH AFRICA: Karabo Meso, Laura Wolvaardt(c), Sune Luus, Miane Smit, Anneke Bosch, Sinalo Jafta(w), Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Nonkululeko Mlaba

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