Bay Oval: The South African women’s team won a gripping match against Pakistan on Friday, after the Asian team lost the plot in the last over in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2022. With two wickets in hand and the big-hitting Diana Baig in the middle, Pakistan appeared to be in a good position to pull out their first win of the tournament, needing 10 runs in 6 balls to win the match in 6 balls. However, South Africa defeated them by 6 runs.
Baig scored a couple of runs in the final over’s first delivery, reducing the equation to 8 runs needed off 5 deliveries. However, Baig’s attempted big shot off the following delivery flew high in the air, and Shabnim displayed steely grit to hang on to a fantastic catch off her own bowling.
South Africa moved up to the third place with the win, remaining unblemished after two matches, while Pakistan remained at the bottom of the points standings.
Who will finish in the top four?#CWC22 pic.twitter.com/gIZTp9ExUr
— ICC Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) March 11, 2022
Pakistan, who were chasing 224, lost their first wicket in the sixth over when Lizelle Lee took a fantastic catch to send Sidra Ameen (12) back to the pavilion. Omaima Sohail struck 65, but Pakistan continued to lose wickets at regular intervals, and the score was 95/3 after 25 overs. Omaima Sohail and Nida Dar, followed by Dar and Diana Baig, sparked excitement. However, the needed run-rate continued to rise.
Sohail and Nida Dar scored 65 and 55 points, respectively, to keep Pakistan in contention. Pakistan, however, continued to lose wickets after Sohail’s dismissal, and they were reduced to 213/8. The team’s stand of runs was put together by Nida Dar (55) and Diana Baig (13), but Shabnim Ismail’s brilliance in the final over helped South Africa win the enthralling match by six runs.
South Africa had earlier amassed 223/9 in the allotted fifty overs, with Laura Wolvaardt scoring 75 runs. South Africa captain Sune Luus (62) and Chloe Tryon (31) also contributed with important knocks as the team achieved a total of more than 220-runs.
Fatima Sana and Ghulam Fatima took three and three wickets respectively for Pakistan, limiting South Africa to 225 runs. Despite the fact that their bowlers performed an excellent job of restricting South Africa to 223 runs, the final attack with the bat never transpired.
Brief Scores: South Africa 223/9 (Laura Wolvaardt 75; Sune Luus 62; Chloe Tryon 31; Trisha Chetty 31); Pakistan 217 all out (Nahida Khan 40; Omaima Sohail 65; Nida Dar 55; Fatima Sana 3-43; Ghulam Fatima 3-52)
