The visitors, South Africa, took the series lead by winning the first ODI of the three-match series by 8 wickets in the 1st ODI at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The home side were eager to bounce back, while the Laura Wolvaardt-led side were keen to continue with the momentum and seal the series in the 2nd game.
Omaima Sohail replaced Shawaal Zulfiqar at the top of the order for the home side. South Africa, on the other hand, made a wholesale of as many as four changes; Karabo Meso replaced Sinalo Jafta, Nadine de Klerk replaced Sune Luus, Chloe Tryon replaced Nonkululeko Mlaba, and Masabata Klaas replaced Ayabonga Khaka in the starting 11 for the 2nd game of the series.
260-Run Partnership between Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits
Little did the Pakistan skipper, Fatima Sana, know what was to follow when she won the toss and inserted Laura Wolvaardt’s Proteas to bat first in a do-or-die game for the home side in Lahore. The South African openers, Tazmin Brits and skipper Laura Wolvaardt, yet again came out with a positive intent, scoring around 6 runs an over in the powerplay.
Skipper Laura Wolvaardt played 2nd fiddle to the in-form Tazmin Brits as she continued from where she left off in the 1st ODI, taking the bowlers on. The aggressive intent from the Brits allowed the South African skipper to settle into her innings. The pair made the Pakistani bowlers toil hard as they continued to smash them all over the park with relentless disdain.
The rain gods came to a momentary rescue for the home side; however, the damage was already inflicted, as the opening stand had already soared to 238 after 41 overs, just a few runs short of their highest ever opening stand (243 runs), before the rain interval. The game was reduced to 46 46-over per side contest. The torture continued as the duo switched to nitro booster mode, scoring 22 runs in the next two overs after the rain break.
It was a pure exhibition of a batting masterclass on display, filled with classical strokes and brute force. An innings that was nothing short of munching a bucketful of popcorn, watching an action-packed movie unfold, especially for the Proteas fans, as the Pakistani bowlers went through a nightmare of their lifetime on a cricket field.
Diana Baig eventually ended the mental turmoil for her side by removing the opposition skipper, Laura Wolvaardt (100 off 129 balls), in the 44th over of the innings, but not before she had notched up her 9th century in the format. The mammoth 260-run opening stand was also the highest-ever partnership for South Africa for any wicket in the ODI format. She struck again by sending Nadine de Klerk back to the pavilion for a golden duck to provide the 2nd breakthrough for the home side.
South Africa posted a massive total of 292/3 in their quota of 46 overs. Tazmin Brits (171* off 141 balls) yet again stayed unbeaten on an enterprising century, her 6th in the format. It is also her career-best score in the format so far. She shattered multiple records en route to her game-changing knock, one of them being only the 2nd player after former White Ferns skipper Amy Satterthwaite to score three consecutive centuries in the format.
Diana Baig (5-0-45-2) was the only wicket-taker with the ball for Pakistan.
Sidra Amin’s consecutive centuries went in vain as Pakistan conceded the ODI series at home.
Things only got tougher for the home side as the target was revised to 313, in their allotted 46 overs, to level the three-match ODI series. Losing their in-form batter Muneeba Ali in the 3rd over of the run chase pushed Pakistan further on the back foot. Marizanne Kapp provided the first breakthrough for South Africa.
Sidra Amin joined Omaima Sohail at the crease, and the duo led some sort of a recovery with a much-needed 57-run partnership for the 2nd wicket. Masabata Klaas broke the stand by sending Omaima Sohail (43 off 38 balls) back to the pavilion in the 11th over of the run chase to provide the 2nd breakthrough for her side. A decent 39-run partnership between Aliya Riaz and Sidra Amin took them past the 100-run mark.
Nondumiso Shangase picked up the wicket of Aliya Riaz (18 off 23 balls) to provide the 3rd breakthrough for South Africa. Natalia Pervaiz joined Sidra Amin at the crease, and Natalia got into terms with the conditions on offer as Sidra Amin continued to take the attack to the South African bowlers. The positive intent rubbed off as N Pervaiz soon switched gears as the duo went on to revive the hopes of pulling off a spectacular run chase courtesy of an encouraging 146-run stand for the 4th wicket, which also took them closer to the 250-run mark.
Chloe Tryon broke the stand, ensuring the departure of a well-set Sidra Amin (122 off 110 balls) in the 38th over of the innings to provide the much-needed 4th breakthrough for the Proteas. She registered her 6th ODI century before getting dismissed. The innings went down the hill for the home side from there onwards, as they were eventually bundled out for 287, with 8 balls to spare, losing their last 6 wickets for just 40 runs. As a result, they fell 25 runs short of the target.
Natalia Pervaiz (73 off 60 balls) played her part with the bat for her side. Nadine de Klerk (6.4-0-45-3), Chloe Tryon (10-0-55-2), and Marizanne Kapp (7-0-37-2) were the standout performers with the ball for South Africa. Tazmin Brits (171* off 141 balls) was awarded the Player of the Match for her exceptional match-defining century. Her knock included 20 boundaries and 4 maximums to her name. She played a decisive role alongside skipper Laura Wolvaardt in helping South Africa clinch the ODI series with a game to go.
I am Yash Tailor, and I believe work should be driven by passion. Therefore, after completing my Engineering, I chose to work in the Cricket industry, my passion. My goal is to reach a stage where I truly enjoy what I do and give my best to every task with energy and purpose.