Proteas women hold off fighting Pakistan to earn ODI series victory

All-rounder Annerie Dercksen plays a shot for the Proteas women during their ODI against Pakistan in Centurion. Picture: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images South Africa wrapped up an impressive series victory with a match to spare on Wednesday night, hanging on against a fighting Pakistan team to secure a 16-run win in a high-scoring women’s one-day international (ODI) match in Centurion. Afterwinning the first game of the three-match campaignin Bloemfontein last week, the Proteas dug deep to come out on top again, taking an unassailable 2-0 series lead.

Set a target of 362 runs to win, Pakistan made a real effort but the Proteas bowlers managed to keep the run rate down sufficiently as the pressure remained on the tourists throughout their hefty chase. Opening batter Sadaf Shamas hit 61 and Ayesha Zafar bashed 75, while captain Fatima Sana (52 off 36) and Syeda Aroob Shah (40) made valuable contributions down the order. All-rounder Annerie Dercksen led the Proteas attack, taking 3/59, while fellow seamer Nadine de Klerk (2/66), and spinners Nondumiso Shangase (2/30) and Nonkululeko Mlaba (2/68), took two wickets each.

Earlier, after losing the toss and being sent in to bat, three Proteas players made half-centuries, led by a destructive effort from middle-order batter Dercksen who hit 90 runs off just 68 balls. Tazmin Brits contributed 77 runs at the top of the order, and after the opener was stumped by Muneeba Ali off a Nashra Sandhu delivery in the 19th over, Suné Luus (57 off 67) combined with Dercksen in a 102-run partnership for the fourth wicket. While Luus and Dercksen (who was named Player of the Match) were both eventually removed, De Klerk then added a quickfire 49 off 26 as she carried the hosts to 361/8.

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It was thesecond-highest innings totalachieved by the Proteas women in an ODI after the 375/6 they racked up against Ireland in Gqeberha in December last year. The third and final match of theODI series between SA and Pakistanwill be played in Durban on Sunday.

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